Homily For Saturday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 29th June, 2024. The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Reading: Acts. 12:1-11; Ps. 34 ; 2 Tim. 4:6-8.17-18; Matt. 16:13-19

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

LEARN TO BRING YOUR UNIQUE MISSION INTO THE ONE MISSIONARY MANDATE OF CHRIST

 

There is something deep and unique about every person as regards the master plans of God for humanity. But sometimes it takes personal experience to discover this uniqueness. I don't know if you have ever had an experience that made you think about your purpose on this earth as you realize the emptiness of this life. A kind of experience that turns pride into humility, sinfulness into righteousness, an experience that changes your perspective about things or people?

 

This is the kind of experience Saints Peter and Paul whose solemnity we are celebrating today had with Jesus on different occasions that made them change their perception of life as they embraced their mission and mandate from Jesus. Their very encounter with Jesus brought a great transformation. Thus Simon left his fishing profession and became a Fisher of men and a preacher of the word of God with a new name Peter the Rock on which Jesus built his Church, the same thing with St. Paul.

 

This is evident in our Gospel passage today, where Peter demonstrated an act of faith as he gave an inspired answer to the question about the personality of Jesus. And Jesus stresses that Peter's faith is a gift from the Father when he says: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

 

Here the key represents the authority to open the gate of the Kingdom of Heaven, and to judge whether to admit or to refuse. While the expression “binding and loosing” refers to the doctrinal decisions and disciplinary power of St Peter. that is, the faculty to impose and to lift. This is a guarantee that Peter’s decisions in the exercise of his ecclesial function are valid in the eyes of God.

 

And that is why in the iconographic tradition we see the keys in the hand of Peter,  because, the faith given to Peter by God is the rock on which Jesus built his Church. This is what St Peter expressed in our first reading today when he said: “Now I know that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were so certain would happen”.

 

Meanwhile, Paul’s encounter brought true conversion in his life and changed his perspective about Christians with a new identity, changing his name from Saul to Paul. A name indicating his new mission as the Apostle of the Gentiles. Little wonder the iconographic tradition represents St. Paul with a sword. The image of the sword refers to his entire mission of evangelization and that was the instrument with which he was killed.

 

No doubt that St. Paul carried out his mission with all his zeal and passion he is regarded as one of the apostles and today his works still speak about the effect of his personal encounter with Jesus. Hence, we heard him saying in our second reading: I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his appearing.

 

Thus, the relationship between Peter and Paul is designed by God for the mission entrusted to them. Their lives are symbols of unity in one missionary mandate of Christ. St. Peter was entrusted with the leadership of all the Apostles and the Church, while St. Paul was empowered and entrusted with the mission to the Gentiles (Gal.2:8). For this mission they both suffered martyrdom for the faith and their love for God and the mission entrusted to them by Jesus. 

 

This very sacrificial life of love is what we are celebrating today, as being represented in different images and statues of Saints Peter and Paul as seen in front of Saint Peter’s Basilica, in the seminaries and in parishes, of which they are easily recognizable by their respective attributes: the keys in the hand of St. Peter and the sword held by St. Paul, showing us the fraternal zeal and unity of these two Apostles on their way to martyrdom for the love of Christ.

 

Dear friends, like Saints Peter and Paul we must learn to bring our unique mission into one missionary mandate of Christ. This is important following the ugly events of division, manipulation and multiplication of Churches going on in Christianity today. Hence, we are called to examine our conscience to know where we are with regard to our faith as Christians, we are called to be convinced of who we are and the need to truly unite together in God and His Church entrusted to St. Peter of which the get of the underworld shall not prevail against it.

 

LET US PRAY: Almighty and ever-living God, as we begin our day with the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, create in us we pray, a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit of true faith within us, so that your Church may truly be united as one. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Homily For Friday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 28th June 2024. The Memorial of St. Irenaeus

 

 Reading: 2Kings 25:1-12; Ps.137; Matt.8:1-4 

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

HOW TO APPROACH THE LORD FOR HEALING AND RESTORATION

 

There is no doubt that we have great events in the scriptures that illustrate the compassionate concern of Jesus in the struggles of humanity and wish to set us free from the shackles of all our troubles.

 

This is evident in the occasion of our Gospel passage today, where a leper having listened to Jesus speaking on the mountain, came up and bowed low in front of him and said ‘Sir, if you want to, you can cure me.’ Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said, ‘Of course I want to! Be cured!’ And his leprosy was cured at once.

 

Here the touching of Jesus is very significant. No ordinary person would dare to touch a leper. We can think of the inner healing that must have resulted from the touch of Jesus, that moment of physical contact that the leper had not experienced for a long time due to rejection. Touch is something we all need, but are so often lacking in our relationship with God and one another. But this cannot stop Jesus from reaching out to his children who call on him for healing and restoration.

 

Thus, the leper was despised, feared, shunned and rejected, but when he approached Jesus in humility, he became the object of divine attention. We too just like the leper, need healing, including the healing that comes from the touch of Jesus, all we need is to approach Jesus in humility and we will become a person of divine attention.

 

More so, the story of this leper is a good example of how we sinners can and should appeal to Jesus for cleansing, especially from our sins. We should come in faith knowing that God is always willing to cleanse every sinner who comes to Him. So, let us sincerely turn to God once again with all of our hearts and with all of our strength, just like the leper who came to Jesus with faith, knowing that he could heal him and make him better. This is what all of us must have as well, a strong and genuine faith. Today may be my great opportunity to be restored and what is needed is to put my faith in action and said Lord if you will you can restore me.

 

Dear friends, I don’t know what type of leprocious problems you are going through. Are you weighed down by sin or sickness? Are you feeling helpless and rejected?  Or do I know people who are helpless and need some help? Do I feel the need for Jesus’s help in some part of my life? Let us pause for a moment and imagine Jesus looking at us. How does he see us? What are you saying to him and what is he saying to you?

 

Jesus wishes to set us free from sickness, troubles challenges and manipulations of the evil ones. He desires to be with us as we struggle every day to overcome the challenges in our families, society and the world at large. Therefore, we should not be afraid to approach Jesus for healing and restoration, all we need is an active faith like the leper in our Gospel passage today.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you know our innermost being and the challenges we are struggling with,  come to our aid through the intercession of St. Irenaeus and cleanse us from all our physical, emotional and spiritual leprosy, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Thursday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 27th June 2024

 

Reading: 2Kings 24:8-14; Ps.79; Matt. 7:21-29

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING AND DOING THE WORD OF GOD

One of my favourite hymns in our hymn book says:

In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song! This cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled when striving cease! My Comforter, my All in All, here in the love of Christ I stand.

 

This hymn draws my attention to our Gospel passage today, where Jesus says:  ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?”

 

Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men! And he continues, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: for it was founded on rock.

 

Here Jesus calls our attention to something very important. He reminds us that it is not enough to hear the word of God; we must put it into practice. It is not sufficient to speak about God, but we must practice what we speak. We are called not merely to hear God’s word but to daily put it into action. Hearing or reading the Word is important, but that is not enough.

 

We must let the Word of God touch and shape our lives. For it is a waste of time and energy if our lives do not reflect the Gospel we preach if we do not hear the words of Jesus and act on them. The truth is that the houses built by wise and foolish persons may probably look alike. But the difference is the foundations, which can only be revealed when tested by the storms of life as we heard in our first reading concerning King Jehoichin and the people of Israel.

 

Dear friends, what are we doing with the word of God we hear every day? What kind of fruit am I bearing? How has the word of God changed my life and the lives of those around me? How has the word of God challenged and propelled me to love God and my neighbours? The fact remains that, hearing and doing the word of God is building our faith on a rocky foundation, that cornerstone, that solid ground, through the fiercest drought and storms of life, because the fruit of the Word of God in us is seen when tested in the storms of life.

 

Thus, is my attitude towards the word of God like that of the foolish builder who takes shortcuts for quick results? Or that of a wise builder who spends time digging a secured foundation through constant meditation and practice of the word of God? Therefore, when we hear the word we must apply it to our daily lives because that's the only way we can feed our soul. Our society has enough hearers of the word, what we need now are doers of the word of God, men and women who will feed their lives with the word of God and from the abundance of their hearts live a life that will influence the society positively.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, through your Word we find life and hope in Christ who is our all in all, grant us the grace to be doers of your Words and not just hearers, in order to build our faith on a rocky foundation in Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.

Homily For Wednesday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 26th June 2024

 

Reading: 2Kings 22:8-13.23:1-3; Ps.119; Matt. 7:6.15-20

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

HOW CAN WE IDENTIFY A TRUE PROPHET FROM A FALSE PROPHET?

 

 A tree is known to be either good or bad, healthy or sick by the fruit it produces. In the same way, the human heart is known to be either good or bad, holy or sinful, sincere or corrupt by the fruit of our words and actions as rooted in our character. Thus, in our societies today many false influential powers have great effects on our lives coming from various sources under the guise of good but are leading us astray. Every day many false prophets and teachers are increasing and are deceiving the people. So, there is a need for us to examine these influences.

 

Little wonder Jesus in our Gospel passage today said: “Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able to tell them by their fruits. For a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit. A sound tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit. Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. I repeat, you will be able to know them by their fruits.”

 

Here, Jesus is calling our attention to the ugly situation in our societies today, where false prophets and teachers are deceiving people. He tells us to be careful and discern to know false prophets from true ones. He made us to know that by the fruits they bear we shall know them. For a true prophet draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart; while a false prophet draws what is bad from the store of his bad thoughts. Because a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart. So it is not sufficient to speak about God, we must practice what we speak. We must let the Word of God touch and shape our lives so that we can bear good and healthy fruit.

 

Dear friends, the ugly attitude of deception, manipulation, exaggeration, corruption and flamboyant lifestyle of false prophets and preachers in our societies today can make it difficult for people to become true and faithful believers of Christ in our world today.

 

Little wonder, people are scandalized by the actions and behaviour of some preachers and teachers. Some have given up their faith, some are about to give up, some are just confused while a lot of people are just holding on to the little faith they have based on their little personal experience and encounter with the Divine.

 

Therefore, we must be very wise for many false prophets are operating under the power of the devil. Let us come to Jesus who has promised us the Spirit of truth that will give us a special sign for distinguishing true doctrine and true teachers from false ones, just as we heard in our first reading today when the King discovered a book in Tempe that contains God’s commandments and said  ‘Great indeed must be the anger of the Lord blazing out against us because our ancestors did not obey what this book says by practising everything written in it.

 

Hence, let us constantly ask the Holy Spirit to give us the grace of discernment in order to distinguish between good and false prophets and teachers. Let us also be true Christians in our way of life, words and deeds. Though is not easy to be a true teacher or prophet in our world today. Let us learn to put our trust in God who has promised to keep us from falling away from the true faith we have found in His Son Jesus.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, our societies are full of deception, false prophets and teachers, send us the Spirit of truth to discern the truth from the false. Grant we pray that we may always stand and witness to the truth we have found in Jesus against all the false influential prophets and teachers in our society today. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Tuesday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 25th June 2024

 

Reading: 2Kings 19:9-11.14-21.31-36; Ps.48; Matt. 7:6,12-14

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

LEARN TO AVOID THE WIDE AND  CAPTIVATING ROADS OF THIS PASSING WORLD FOR THEY ARE DESTRUCTIVE

 

Life is a temporal assignment, a journey which begins in the morning so beautiful, full of expectations and hope, but the sojourner does not know his/her destination, purpose and end. The only guide is his/ her willingness to constantly follow the directives of the Sender who communicates his plans and purposes to those who care and are willing to listen.

 

Thus, this emptiness and shortness of life makes me reflect on my future as a human person and the question that comes to my mind is: "Where will you and I, and the beautiful things of this world be in the next one, ten, twenty, forty, eighty and hundred years for those who are strong? The deep silence in my soul could not offer me any answer to this question rather, it exposed me to the foolishness of human greediness, corruption and selfishness. Hence, I asked myself what does God really require from us in this world? And how can we really identify the path we are called to follow?

 

I found a consoling answer to this question in our Gospel passage today, where Jesus said “Always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.” And He added, “Enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to destruction is wide and spacious, and many are following it; but narrow is the gate and hard is the road that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

 

Here, Jesus described how humanity has failed to embrace the life of truth, holiness and love for God and for one another seems difficult and narrow to them but prefer to follow the destructive ways of life that are born out of pride, greed and uncontrollable desire for worldly things, as things of this passing world are so captivating and many people are captured by its seductive power and are greatly following it.

 

This is exactly what happened to King Sennacherib of Assyria in our first reading, who out of pride and greed, blasphemed against God before the walls of Jerusalem, as he mocked God and the people of Israel, referring to their faith and hope in God as being useless and meaningless. Then the people turned to God in deep prayer and the Lord reassured them, from King Hezekiah through prophet Isaiah, that despite all the power and the vast armies King Sennacherib possessed, he would never conquer nor achieve his desire, for he would soon meet his just end because of all the sins that he had committed against God and His people. So his pride, greed and sins led to his downfall and damnation, calling us to reflect on our own lives and actions.

 

Dear friends, life is indeed very short and the road that leads to death and destruction is truly wide and very captivating, of which many are captives of its seductive power. But the road to life is becoming narrower more and more because humanity is working so hard to expand the seductive road and gates of destruction against the narrow gate of life.

 

Therefore, to embrace the narrow gate and road that leads to eternal life, we must work harder by resisting all the temptations and sinful things of this passing world and embrace the life of love and sacrifice which Jesus has offered us. Let us turn towards God with all our hearts by removing from our hearts all forms of pride, greed and unhealthy desires that lead us astray down the path of destruction.

 

LET US PRAY: O God, our journey of life depends on you and today you have called us to follow the narrow gate of love and sacrifice. But the seductive road of this passing world is captivating and many are victims of its power, grant us the grace to resist it but journey through the path and gate that leads to eternal life, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. May God bless your little efforts in life and guide you always.

Homily For Monday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 24th June 2024. The Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist

 

Reading: Is.49:1-6; Ps.139; Acts 13:22-26; Luke: 1:57-66.80

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

THE MYSTERY OF OUR BIRTH AND NAME

 

One of the most significant days in our lives is our birthday, this day often comes with joy and praise. And in the mood of joy that a life has been born, one of the things that comes to mind is giving a name to the baby as an identity. This event is very important and necessary. In fact, the naming of objects and persons is an important ritual found in scripture.

 

We can recall in the book of Genesis (Gen.2:19-20) when God created Adam and gave him the responsibility of giving names to all creation. So the act of giving a name to people has been a traditional event not only in the scriptures but in every human culture. Thus, today we celebrate the great Solemnity of the birth of St. John the Baptist, the only person, whose birthday is celebrated in the Church’s liturgical calendar, besides that of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary, because of his role in history of the salvation of humanity.

 

On account of this, our Gospel passage today gives us the record of the events of the birth and naming of John the Baptist. From the passage, great significant and surprising things happened during the birth and naming of John the Baptist, of which we can identify three unusual features: first the old have given birth. Secondly, the child has a strange name “John” derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan meaning " YAHWEH is gracious", a name which no one bears in the family thirdly, Zechariah's dumbness is taken away on account of giving this name, which brought great joy to the people and they praised God. However, such remarkable events caused the crowd to fear and perceive that something different and surprising was happening, things worth remembering. Showing us that, when God names a child, that child is significant in his plan.

 

John’s birth was prophesied by the prophets as we have in our first reading today, to be the last among the prophets, for his role was to prepare the people and to finally proclaim the coming of the Messiah who will fulfil the long awaiting plan of God for the salvation of humanity. And in our second reading, St. Paul gave us an account of how John in humility carried out his mission as he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel. And before John ended his career he said, “I am not the one you imagine me to be; that one is coming after me and I am not fit to undo his sandal.

 

No doubt the mission of John the Baptist was quite challenging as he encountered many obstacles just like other prophets before him. He faced strong opposition and rejection from the Pharisees who doubted and challenged his teaching and works for the baptism of repentance which many people believed in him. But John fearlessly confronted them calling them wicked, brood of vipers and hypocrites. He also courageously confronted King Herod with the truth about his illegal and sinful relationship with Herodias his brother’s wife, and this led to his martyrdom and so ends his mission of decreasing while Jesus increases.

 

Dear friends, we all have a significant place in the plan of God and our birth and name are a mystery that point to this plan. Our names are not just a common ceremony. It is a testimony of God’s plan for us. Why not take time today to reflect on the meaning and circumstances surrounding our births and our names? By God’s grace, we will understand better who we are and what our mission and purpose on earth are. And by so doing, we will faithfully stand for the truth of what we represent and fulfil our plans and purposes, just like John the Baptist who stood for the truth of his mission and offered it to everyone, whoever, whenever and however it will best bring conversion to sinner even at the cost of his head.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you created each one of us to fulfil your plan on earth and in our names we bear the mystery of our mission and purpose, Grant us the grace to faithfully and courageously fulfil our mission and purpose in this world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed and joyful week.

Homily For Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 23rd June 2024

 

Reading: Job 38:1.8-11; Ps.107; 2Cor 5:14-17; Mark 4:35-41

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

PEACE! BE STILL! FOR THE LORD WILL NOT LET YOUR BOAT OF FAITH SINK IN THE HEAVY STORMS OF LIFE

 

In the scriptures, we often hear stories of how people struggled with heavy storms as they assailed through the sea. Even our fishermen and the Marine men who are into sea business can tell us better what it means to be on the sea with heavy storms, a situation where the need to look for a Saviour is highly expected. Such was the case with the disciples of Jesus in our Gospel passage today. It is a story about the disciples' panic and fear of perishing as a result of the heavy storm that is affecting their boat.

 

As this heavy storm is about breaking their boat, the disciples cannot believe that Jesus was asleep while they were afraid and needed help from anywhere. So they went to him and woke him saying, ‘Teacher, do you not care if we perish? And Jesus said: “Peace! Be still!!” And the Storm ceased and there was a great calm. And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, how is it that you have no faith? The men were astounded and said, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him.’

 

Here, this story signifies God's chosen people on a transit of faith, frightened by the guilt of sin and wounded by the waves of the sea, the abode of evil forces and monsters of this world. The boat can be taken as a symbol of the faith of the Church and the people of God struggling with the world’s principalities and powers. While the storms are symbols of heavy persecution and suffering by the people of God. These great waves and the wind facing the boat, which threatened to sink it also represent the difficulties and challenges that we are facing in this world on account of our faith, which seems as if Jesus is no more with us. The fact remains that Jesus is still with us more than we can ever imagine. And he is saying: why are you so afraid, you men of little faith?

 

Little wonder we heard St. Paul saying in our second reading that the love of Christ should overwhelm us when we reflect that if one man has died for all, and the reason he died for all was so that living men should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life for them. Thus, for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one has come.

 

This is well affirmed in our first reading today, where we are made to reflect on the life of Job, who in heavy storms of life, remained firm in his faith despite the efforts of the devil to sink the boat of his faith through misfortunes and sufferings in order to make him abandon the Lord. But Job remained firm, he did not blame God, though he did blame himself and wonder why the Lord had to let him suffer such great misfortune just like most of us who often worry and wonder about our daily storms and struggles.

 

Dear friends, there is no doubt that there is an active presence of evil in the world which manifests itself in different forms. So every day is a struggle against the malice of the evil ones, and we are doing everything we can to overcome them. Today Jesus is inviting us into his boat of life, thereby calling us to journey on this boat with unwavering faith and a repented heart, because the world is being tossed around by the waves of evil forces, the enemies of humanity. And it is only God who can subdue it, for he has promised to restore us to himself.

 

Therefore, I don't know the great storms of doubt and fear in your soul. I don’t know if you are under the power of the evil forces of this world. I don’t know how fragile the boat of your faith is or how deep the storms of life have tried to sink your faith.  All I will say is that we should let the words of Jesus sound once again in our hearts saying “Peace! Be still!” For with great faith in God, the heavy storms in our lives will become calm, for Jesus will surely rebuke the violent storms in our hearts so that we can experience once again the calmness of his peace and joy.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God. As we struggle every day to overcome the ugly situation around us, do not let the boat of our faith sink in the heavy storms of life. Grant that the violent storms and waves of bondage in our lives, our families and the world, will end in a wonderful calm that brings peace in our souls. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday to you all.