Homily for Wednesday Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year B , 10th July, 2024

 

Readings: Hosea 10:1-3. 7-8.12, Ps. 105, Matt 10:1-7

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

DO NOT FORGET THAT THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS VERY CLOSE AT HAND

 

The things of this passing world is so captivating and we are becoming so comfortable as if this world is our home. The truth remains that this world is not our home we are passing by. So, if we are not careful we will be like a foolish traveler who having encountered a pleasant garden forgets to continue towards his destination. The world is a pleasant garden and we are just passing by. This is exactly what Jesus is calling our attention to in our Gospel passage today, when he commanded his twelve disciples to go and proclaim to the people that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.

 

Here, Jesus continues with his missionary discourse, he summoned his twelve apostles and send them out with the clear instruction to proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of heaven. He sent them on a mission of teaching and healing to proclaim the message of God’s saving love to those who were in most need of hearing it.

 

In a similar way, we heard in our first reading how the Lord sent prophet Hosea, just before the end and the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel, to remind the people of all the sins they had committed, warning them of the impending suffering and destruction for all the sinful things they had done. For time shall come when they will say to the mountains, ‘Cover us!’ and to the hills, ‘Fall on us! But they will find no response. He advised them to sow integrity for themselves and reap a harvest of kindness, they should break up their fallow ground: for it is time to go seeking the Lord, until he comes to rain salvation on us.

 

So, today Jesus is calling us to change our ugly and sinful ways of life, especially as regards our attitude towards the things of this passing world. He is also commanding us just as he commanded his apostles to tell humanity, especially those we encounter every day, our family members, neighbours, colleagues, friends, in fact everyone around us, we should tell them that the kingdom of heaven is very close at hand.

 

Thus, it's time to truly seek God with all our hearts, it's time to turn away from our sinful way of life, it's time to say yes to God for tomorrow may be too late. We should not be ashamed or afraid to carry out this mandate, for when God calls us, he supplies us with the means and courage necessary to accomplish the task entrusted to us. For we are never alone, he is always with us.

 

Dear friends, what are we doing in this passing world with the gift of life that God has given us? For today we are called not to be too comfortable with this thing of this passing world for God’s kingdom is very close at hand? We should never think that we still have all the time to keep ‘enjoying' the pleasant things of this passing world.

 

Remember we are all travelers in this world. But how many ears must we have before we can hear the call for repentance, how many deaths will it take till we know that soul of many people has gone from this world. How many words of God will we hear before we know that one day we will be no more in this passing world. The answer dear friends is blowing in the wind. Therefore let us not be like a foolish traveler who having encountered a pleasant garden of this passing world, forgets to continue towards his destination which is God’s heavenly kingdom.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you called us today to reflect on our heavenly kingdom, give us grace to repent and turn to you for mercy, help us to have the missionary zeal that will enable us to live with integrity, purity and detachment from the thing of this passing world as we spread the Good News of your kingdom to humanity. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Tuesday Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 9th July, 2024

 

Readings: Hosea 8:4-7.11-13, Ps. 115, Matt 9:32-38

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

ARE YOU PART OF THE LABOURERS IN GOD’S VINEYARD?

 

Walking through the streets I observed how people are struggling with the things of this passing world. I saw their passion, their determination and willingness to achieving great things of life at the expense of things that prepares us for eternal life. For life has become nothing for some people. Greed, corruption and selfishness have rendered so many people into perpetual poverty and suffering.

 

Thus, reflecting on these, my mind turned towards the words of Jesus in our Gospel passage today, when he saw the crowds and had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest’.

 

Here, Jesus had compassion on humanity who were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. He then says to his disciples that there is a huge harvest waiting to be reaped. Calling on us to pray for God to send labourers into his harvest. Therefore, more labourers are needed, for Jesus sees how humanity are harassed and dejected, wandering aimlessly like sheep without a guiding shepherd. And because the souls of everyone in the world are so precious to Jesus, he needs many more labourers especially now that is obvious that the harvest is getting richer while the labourers are getting fewer.

 

Hence the harvest is as big as ever and people are getting lost and clueless as never before. But who are these labourers? They are not just the bishops, priests, or religious men and women. But every baptized person is called in different capacity as God’s labourers to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those around them.

 

So each of us has a vocation, a call to save souls and build the Kingdom of God together. Let us not be like the people of Israel in our first reading today, who abandoned their mission and vocation and choose to sacrifice to idols. Thus we heard the Lord saying through prophet Hosea:  “they love sacrificing; right, let them sacrifice! They love meat; right, let them eat it! The Lord takes no pleasure in these. He is now going to remember their iniquity and punish their sins”.

 

Dear friends, the Lord desires to have faithful labourers. Are you part of the labourers in God’s vineyard? As labourers of the Lord, how are we carrying out this mission and mandate of Christ? How strong is our compassion towards others? Do we know people who are harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd? Let us look at them for a moment and imagine Jesus looking at them and saying something to them. Or do we feel harassed and helpless as a result of what we are passing through in life? Do we feel the need of Jesus’ help in some part of our life? Then turn to him for restoration.

 

Remember, as labourers whether as lawyers, Doctors, teachers, engineers, politicians, military, businesses men and women, each one of us are called today to reach out to people at any particular corner of the field of harvest where we are residing now, for we may be the only person who may have access to reach out to them.  Therefore, let us start from our families, neighbours, colleagues in the office and others who we encounter in our lives, because, we may be the only person who can brings the healing and compassion of Jesus into their lives.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, give us the grace and courage to be faithful labourers in your vineyard, who will labour to bringing souls to you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.

Homily For Monday Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year B , 8th July, 2024

 

Readings: Hosea 2:14bc.15cd-16.19-20; Ps.145, Matt 9:18-26

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

COURAGE! YOUR FAITH HAS RESTORED YOU

 

Sometime in life, it seems as if we are not making progress because we don’t have enough faith to subdue our challenges and out of fear we feel helpless and want to give up. The fact is that, we have faith but we have not been able to actively and radically put it into action like the official whose daughter had died but came to Jesus for help  and also the woman with a hemorrhage in our Gospel passage today.

 

For today, we are presented with the story of the faith of a woman with a hemorrhage set inside the story of a little girl who died and the father in faith came to Jesus for help. However, Mark 5:21-43 and Luke 8:40-56 tell the story in greater detail. In Mark and Luke, the woman with the hemorrhage interrupts Jesus’ journey to the home of a child who might die before he arrives, creating an urgency that is not present in Matthew’s account. In Matthew’s account, the girl is already dead, so there is no need to hurry.

 

Here, the father confesses a resurrection faith, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” The father believes that even Jesus’ slightest touch will restore life to his daughter likewise the woman with a hemorrhage. The stories of the little girl and the woman have interesting similarities: Both are called “daughter” (9:18,22). Both are restored in the presence of people (the woman and the father) who seek Jesus’ help. The woman has been ill for twelve years, and the little girl was twelve years old. Both the woman and the little girl have been cut off from normal society by their unhealthy physical condition.

 

But there are also differences between the two stories. The father is a man of high standing in the community, and the woman is unclean an outcast. The man approaches Jesus boldly, and the woman approaches him timidly. The girl was raised based on the father’s radical faith, the woman was restored through her own faith for she was very sure that the very moment she touched the Lord’s cloak all her troubles were ended, for her body was made whole again.

 

This woman actually represents the sinful humanity in need of God’s mercy, salvation and restoration. Her bleeding signifies the iniquity of all humanity who are defiled by the constant shading of innocent blood through violent, wars and abortions, thereby unworthy of God’s presence. Her reaching out to touch Jesus and her restoration signifies the effort each one of us needs to make to reach out to God in order to be restored and finally the willingness of Jesus to heal all of us just as he had healed the woman from all of her troubles. But this requires that we radically put our faith into action. 

 

This can be linked to what prophet Hosea is saying in our first reading today, as he talks about God’s mercy, love and compassion for each and every one of us. Telling us that God will restore humanity once again and she will embrace God as her husband’, no longer will humanity be wallowing in ignorance worshiping of the Baals of this passing world. Because God will betroth us to Himself in faithfulness for ever, and will betroth us with integrity, justice, tenderness and love, so that we will come to know God and be restored once again.

 

Dear friends, today we are made to know that, it is not enough to have faith, we must radically put our faith into action no matter the circumstances we find ourselves. For it is through active faith that we can reach out to God in prayers and so obtain what we desired. Therefore, having faith in the Lord is necessary for us to obtain God’s restoration.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we thank you for the gift of faith, give us the grace and courage to put our gift of faith into positive action that yields positive results. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.  Do have a fruitful week.

Homily For Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 7th July, 2024

 

Reading: Ezek.2:2-5; Ps.123; 2Cor 12:7-10; Mark 6:1-6

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

WHY DO WE OFTEN LOOK DOWN ON PEOPLE?

 

One of the ugly attitudes of most people in our societies today is pride. This ugly attitude is often expressed inform of contempt and neglect of other people by look down on them because we think that such people cannot offer us anything good at the moment. We are quick to forget that everyone, no matter the present condition is a potential instrument for God's blessings. This ugly attitude is what the people of Israel in our first reading and also the people of Nazareth in our Gospel passage today demonstrated.

 

Little wonder when God sent prophet Ezekiel to his people he said to him: “I am sending you to the Israelites, to a nation of rebels who have turned against me. Till now they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me. Their sons are defiant and stubborn; I am sending you to them, to say, “The Lord says this.” Whether they listen or not, this set of rebels shall know that there is a prophet among them”. Prophet Ezekiel no doubt was rejected and treated badly and humiliated by his own people because of his message of truth and liberation. Although the Lord made him strong even in the midst of all his challenges.

 

This is exactly what happened in our Gospel passage when Jesus came to his home town and taught the people in the synagogue in such a way that they were astonished, but instead of embracing the message of Jesus, they treated him with contempt and in their pride they said: ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? This is the carpenter’s son, surely? Is not his mother the woman called Mary, and his brothers and sisters here with us? Where did he get all these?’ And they would not accept him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country and in his own house’, and he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith and he marvelled because of their unbelief.

 

Thus, out of pride and contempt the people rejected the blessings God has for them. And like the prophets of old, Jesus was not accepted by the very people to whom he had been sent. Because the people showed only little faith, he was only able to cure only few sick persons. But he went on to teach in other villages, while there were few great work done in his hometown. So, if they would not allowed him to do good in their city, he would do it some other place.

 

Therefore, he had to move on, he did not insist on convincing those whose minds were closed. Consequently, they missed out the blessings he was offering them. So in their pride they treated him with contempt. Today this kind of ugly attitude is what stops people from doing good, because they don’t want to be treated with contempt and as a result, a lot of people have been deprived of their blessings out  of human pride and contempt. This should not be our attitude towards God’s message and messengers.

 

Dear Friends, why do we often look down on people? Why treat other people we contempt? Why do we let pride destroy our relationship with God and with others? Why do we let this ugly attitude deprive us of our blessings? Let us stop looking down on people or treat anyone with contempt, for everyone is a potential instrument of God’s blessings and favour.

 

Therefore, if we want to make a difference in life, we should be ready to ignore what people are saying about us now, we have to forget our past failures and our humble beginning. People may not appreciate us now, they may even say all kinds of things about us, just to humiliate and discourage us.

 

But we should not give up, we should remain faithful and humble, just like St. Paul in our second reading who says:  “to stop me from getting too proud I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to beat me and stop me from getting too proud! About this thing, I have pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me, but he has said, ‘My grace is enough for you: my power is at its best in weakness.’ So I am quite content with my weaknesses, and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and the agonies I go through for Christ’s sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong”.

 

Therefore, as children of God living in a world hostile to our faith and mission, we should never give up. We should rather put all our obstacles behind us and work hard for our dreams, give our time to it, sacrifice our sleep and comfort, sweat for it, plan for it, overcome all our opposition, enduring pains and obstacles, with the help of God we will succeed and become sources of God's blessings to others. Then we will sing joyfully to God our strength and all the people will gather about us in praise of our God. And they will say: Are not these the Carpenter's sons and daughters? Where then did they get all these? Yes, that's who we are, for Jesus is the Carpenter of our success and salvation.

 

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, oftentimes in our pride we treat people with contempt because of their humble background, give us the grace to realize that everyone is a potential instrument of your blessings and favour to humanity, and as we struggle towards our goals, may you crown all our efforts and sacrifices with success. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.  Peace be with you.

Homily For Saturday Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 6th July, 2024

 

Readings: Amos 9:11-15, Ps 85 , Matt 9:14-17

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

LET YOUR NEW LIFE OF GRACE PRESERVE THE NEW SKIN OF YOUR SOUL

 

Today our attention is drawn to the gift of New Life which Jesus is offering to humanity. A gift that differentiate 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 question 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 on to 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 relationship with Jesus is more important, because, what the bridegroom is to the bride, that what Jesus is to the souls of all who believe in him.

 

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.

 

In the second response, Jesus shows that he is bringing something totally new which should not be mixed with the old way of life. This he emphasized with the importance of pouring new wine into fresh wineskins and the need to avoid using 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.

 

This is exactly what prophet Amos prophesied concerning the people of Israel in our first reading, when after he spoke of the upcoming reckoning and judgment that the people would suffer for their rebellions and disobedience against God. God also spoke through him about the new life of grace, mercy and compassion towards the people, that His love for them is such that He would bring them back once again to their formal glory and restore them like the good old days.

 

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 wine skins of our redeemed and purified soul? Today we are called to a fresh response towards embracing the New Life of grace which Jesus is offering us. We must not mix our old life of sin with the new life of grace Jesus is offering us. 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 God is offering us.

 

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, You are the source of our new life, 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 peaceful weekend.

Homily For Friday Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 5th July, 2024

Reading: Amos 8:4-6.9-12; Ps. 119; Matt. 9:9-13

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

HOW ARE YOU RESPONDING TO GOD’S CALL FOR REPENTANCE?

 

There is no doubt that Jesus had been calling people from different works of life to be part of his mission, but today’s call and choice of Matthew a man identified with sinners because of his work as a tax collector, was quite strange to some people. Little wonder in our Gospel passage today after Jesus had called Matthew to follow him, he had a dinner in his house and while at the dinner, it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. This is because to follow Jesus, Matthew needs to abandon his lucrative job, knowing that he can never regain it. Also, he needs to cut himself off from his old network of friends.

 

So, it seems likely that, in a spirit of joy, Matthew invites Jesus and his disciples to a great feast at his house. But the Pharisees felt bad and offended about Jesus sharing a meal with "sinners", so they complained to his disciples saying: “Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard this he replied, “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.”

 

Here we heard the inner most desire of Jesus for sinful humanity in need of salvation. Because the call of Matthew is like the call of each of us, a choice that demonstrates Jesus' desire for sinners to repent. For all he desires is mercy and not sacrifices, repentance and not pride. Jesus is calling us to repentance, he is inviting us to make a fundamental choice for God just like St Matthew, who though sinner, rose up and followed Jesus at his call for repentance.

 

Therefore, we too are to respond to this invitation without delay, so that we will not be like the people of Israel in our first reading today, who failed to listen to God’s words and warnings. Thus we heard the Lord saying: see the days when I will bring famine on the country, a famine not of bread, a drought not of water, but of hearing the word of the Lord. They will stagger from sea to sea, wander from north to east, seeking the word of the Lord and failing to find it

 

Dear friends, how are we responding to God's call to repentance? As Christians who are called to follow the Lord, what is our attitude towards notorious and public sinners? How are we relating with those we judge to be sinners? What efforts are we making to convert sinners? Today, we are called to let St. Matthew be an inspiration and hope for every one of us. Let him be an example that will remind us that there is no one beyond the reach of God’s mercy and love. For he is capable of transforming our ugly ways of life into a glorious instrument for human salvation. Remember, Jesus desires mercy and not sacrifice and we are all invited to follow him along the way of salvation and not to condemn or judge anyone.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, despite our sinfulness,  you called and chose us to be instrument of your salvation to all humanity. As we learn for St. Matthew, give us the grace to make good choices that will help us to respond positively to your call for repentance and evangelization. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.  Do have a fruitful day.

Homily For Thursday Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 4th July, 2024

 

Readings: Amos 7:10-17, Ps 18:8-11 , Matt 9:1-8

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

LORD RESTORE US AGAIN FOR WE ARE PARALYZED BY THE SINFUL THINGS OF THIS PASSING WORLD

 

The sin and evil going on in the world today are putting our faith to the test and most people are giving in to the scheme of the devil 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 ups and down seeking for solutions.

 

While the evil ones are taking advantage of the 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 to heal and restore us 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 paralytic man carried by his friends. A gesture that signifies the restoration of humanity paralyzed by sin. So Jesus began by forgiving our sins. Though 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. And 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 priest Amaziah in our first reading, who opposed prophet Amos.

 

Prophet Amos was doing the work of God, by calling people to repentance and to face the consequences of their sins. This is because, Amaziah and king Jeroboam had sinned and also led the people of Israel to sin against God as well.  So Amaziah saw Amos as a rival and a threat to his own influence, and that was also why he went up to king Jeroboam complaining about Amos and asking him to get out of Israel and return to the land of Judah, and stop prophesying in Bethel because he doesn’t want to hear the truth just like must of our leaders today who does not like to hear the truth.

 

Dear friends, today we are called not to be like the priest Amaziah or the scribes who were enslaved by their pride and desire to maintain their prestige in the society. They doubted the power and authority of Jesus and rejected the message of truth. But Jesus rebuked them, this shows 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.

 

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 most problems in our world today. For most families exist only by grace because of the absence of love. How I wish we can invest our time and resources in ensuring love and goodwill in our dealings with one another, believe me, the world will be a temporal home for everyone.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are paralyzed by the sins and evil we are committing against you and the world you created, as we come to you in faith, forgive us our sins, heal and restore us once again. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.