Homily For Thursday Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 8th August, 2024. The Memorial of St. Dominic

 

Readings: Jer. 31:31-34; Ps. 51; Matt. 16:13-23

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

HOW CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD JESUS?

 

As social beings, we often make friends who we can confide in and entrust with our innermost thoughts and plans. But the friendship does not come automatically. There is always a moment when one will want to know if his or her friends can really be trusted if they truly know and understand who we are and what we represent.

 

This is the situation between Jesus and his disciples in our Gospel passage today, when Jesus asked them saying: Who do people say the Son of Man is? And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.

 

Here, we see how Peter expressed his conviction about who Jesus is. He did not have to quote any authority, because his response was a clear and sincere knowledge of who he professed Jesus to be. Hence, Jesus stressed that Peter’s faith was a gift from the Father when he said: “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.

 

This is because Peter’s gift of faith comes from his personal response to Jesus. Thus, our faith requires that we give a personal answer to the question: who is Jesus to me personally? For it is not enough to quote the teachings and Catechism of the Church about our faith or the teachings of other theologians and preachers or to respond only from the head but from the heart that is convinced of what it believes in.

 

Today most people are following Jesus without knowing who Jesus truly represents. Some people find it very difficult to embrace the teachings of Jesus because they lack faith and conviction about his personality, even when Jesus has revealed himself to us through his great miracles and teachings. The fact is that Jesus wants us to develop a divine way of looking at things; he wants us to know him deep down in our souls so that we can profess our faith with deeper meaning and conviction.

 

This is why he told Simon, 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.” This seems to be the fulfilment of the prophecy and promises in our first reading today when the Lord said: Deep within them I will plant my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ‘Learn to know the Lord!’ No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest since I will forgive their iniquity and never call their sin to mind.

 

Dear friends, having heard the teachings and works of Jesus in the scriptures and traditions of the Church, the question remains: who is Jesus to you? What is your personal experience and conviction about the identity of Jesus? How has your knowledge of Jesus helped other people to come to faith in Jesus? Today we are called to really examine our conscience to know where we are with regards to our faith as Christians.

 

We are called today to develop a divine way of understanding the mysteries of God, just like St. Dominic whose memorial we celebrate today. Through his personal experience of God, he has helped the faithful to renew their faith and commitment in God and their society through the deepening of their spiritual lives, especially through the use of the rosary as a prayer, which eventually became one of the most popular of all devotions in the Church, through which countless souls have been converted to the Lord, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, you revealed to St. Peter the true identity of Jesus, your son; help us to profess our faith with deeper meaning and conviction. And as we experience the power of your presence, may we embrace more deeply your sacred mysteries. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Remain blessed.

Homily For Wednesday, the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time Year B, 7th August 2024

 

Readings: Jer. 31:1-7; Ps. Jer. 31: 10-13; Matt. 15:21-28

 

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

ACCEPTING THE SCRAPS OF GRACE THAT FALL FROM THE MASTER’S TABLE

 

Most people in our societies today hardly accept who they are. Today, people spend all their resources and energy trying to convince others of what they are not by seeking their approval. This is not the same with the Canaanite woman in our Gospel passage today, who, when she approached Jesus pleading for the restoration of her daughter, was not discouraged because her request was not granted immediately because of her humble background.

 

For Jesus said to her  ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.’ But the woman persisted, kneeling at his feet saying. ‘Lord help me.’ Jesus replied, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.’ She retorted, ‘Ah yes, sir; but even house-dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, you have great faith. Let your wish be granted.’ And from that moment her daughter was well again.

 

From this little story, it is clear that the woman was not going to give up, but kept pleading, even from her Canaanite background, to the point of Jesus recognizing her great faith. The irony of this passage is that, in Israel, Jesus was trying to convince people that he was the Messiah, as he was being challenged to prove it with a sign. But here in Gentile territory, he met a woman who was convinced he was the Messiah, so he could not discourage her efforts.

 

But his apparent attempt to put her off was just a test, of which her great faith was proven by the acceptance of her humble background. She accepted the place of a “dog” as a Gentile in relation to Israelites being the chosen children of God to whom the message and grace of the Messiah came first. Hence she accepted that she may not be able to sit down at the Messiah’s table and eat with the “children,” but she should be allowed to pick up some of the crumbs of unmerited mercy and grace of God for the sake of her daughter.

 

Dear friends, we must stop wasting valuable time trying to prove who we are not; let us first in faith, accept who we are and then work hard to improve who we want to be in relation to our faith in God. Let our faith in God help us to accept who we are. Whatever we want to do, let us have faith in God and ourselves and be determined because faith, determination and sacrifice are the secrets of any success in life.

 

Therefore, tell yourself today that you can get that which you desire, plan for it, and work every day for it; you will begin to see a different face in the things you do. The truth is that people are rewarded in public for things they have done for years in private. So, let us learn from the Canaanite woman who accepted who she was and was determined with faith to achieve her dream through humility and persistence.  For the Lord will always intervene in our humble situations in order to elevate us as we heard in our first reading today.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are often very slow to accept who we are and sometimes, because of our humble background, we fail to obtain what we desire. As we come to you today in humility and faith like the Canaanite woman, may we obtain your grace and favours. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Tuesday, the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time Year B, 6th August 2024. The Feast of Transfiguration of the Lord

 

Readings: Dan. 7:9-10.13-14, Ps.97. 2 Peter.1:16-19. Mark 9:2-10

 

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

AN ENCOUNTER THAT REVEALS THE TRUE IDENTITY OF JESUS

 

To know the true identity of Jesus has always been the desire and quest of most people of his time and even in our time. So, today we celebrate the Feast of Transfiguration of the Lord, the mystery and revelation of the true identity of Jesus.

 

The word “Transfiguration” is the combination of two words ‘trans’ meaning change, and ‘figure’ meaning appearance or the outlook of a body. That is, the change in appearance of Jesus reveals his true nature as the Divine Son of God, shining forth from his human nature, unveiling that he was not just a Man but also the great Son of God incarnate in the human flesh. This will help us to understand the true identity of Jesus.

 

This is important because most people today still do not have a grand knowledge of the personality and identity of Jesus and his mission towards the salvation of humanity. So, to make known his identity to humanity, Jesus, in our Gospel passage today, chose three of his disciples, Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone.

 

There in their presence, he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them; they were talking with him. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and from the cloud, there came a voice which said, ‘This is my Beloved Son. Listen to him.

 

So, in this Feast, we remember the revelation of Christ as the beloved Son of the Father, the one we are called to trust and listen to in prayer. An event that occurs to undermine objections to the inevitable event of Parousia, which calls us to a life of faith and radical transformation. A transformation that brings about a new outfit that makes one a new person with a new life, a new mind and a new way of doing things.

 

In this revelation, we recall the presence of the two greatest and most renowned figures from the Old Testament, namely Moses and the prophet Elijah. They represent the law and the prophets which bear witness to the personality and identity of Jesus. To crown all, the voice from the cloud which has also been the symbol of God’s presence with His people bearing witness that Jesus is the Beloved Son of God, calling us to listen to him.

 

Little wonder St. Peter, in our second reading today, tells us that it was not any cleverly invented myths that they were repeating when they brought us the knowledge of the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, for they had seen his majesty for themselves.

 

Peter made us know that Jesus was honoured and glorified by God the Father when the Sublime Glory itself spoke to him and said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; Listen to him.’ He said they heard this themselves, spoken from heaven when they were with him on the holy mountain.

 

This event also fulfils the vision of Daniel in our first reading, where he said: I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man. He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence. His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed. The preface of this feast says that Jesus revealed his glory in the presence of chosen witnesses and filled with the greatest splendour that bodily form which he shares with all humanity, that the scandal of the Cross might be removed from the hearts of his disciples.

 

Dear friends, are we in any way ignorant of the personality, identity and mission of our Lord Jesus Christ? Have we personally experienced the presence of Jesus in our lives? Have we ever encountered Jesus in such a transformative way that changes our sinful ways of life and builds our faith stronger in the Lord? This is the type of encounter we need to have. An encounter that reveals the true identity of Jesus.

 

The truth is, we can change our religion, churches, even our pastors, friends, residence, car or our physical appearance: hair, clothes, colour, even gender, as some people do today. But if we don’t have a transfigurative experience that will bring about a change of mind and heart towards loving God and our neighbours, we will remain the same, and the old experience of unfruitful life will perpetuate itself over and over again. Because everything absolutely changes when we change our minds for good, and that is the essence of today’s feast.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you never cease to make known to your children the mysteries of your Love for humanity, grant that by listening to the voice of your beloved Son, we may personally experience his love in our lives and merit to become coheirs with him, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. As you begin the day, may God bless you with a sound mind and unwavering faith in him.

Homily For Monday Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 5th August, 2024

Readings: Jer.28: 1-17; Ps 119; Matt. 14:13-21

 

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT

 

Humanity is constantly in need of one thing or the other; we are never tired of searching for things that will satisfy our desire for physical and spiritual well-being. This is the situation and condition of the people in our Gospel passage today, where we heard how the people were in search of Jesus for more bread. So, as Jesus stepped ashore, he saw a large crowd, and he took pity on them and healed their sickness and also miraculously fed them.

 

Here, Jesus fulfils his role as the expected messiah who is to liberate his people from all kinds of diseases. The healing touch of Jesus reveals to all those who are in need that God is faithful to his promises. This healing and wholeness are offered as a sign of the presence of God’s kingdom among his people. But Jesus did not just heal the sick, he also fed the crowd when he said give them something to eat.

 

This feeding of the crowd refers back to the journey of the people of God in the desert from Mount Sinai to the promised land, which, in a special way, signifies the event of our Eucharistic celebration. The Eucharist has the same characteristics of this miracle: the community gathered together, the transformation of humble elements into a glorified body of Christ to satisfy our spiritual hunger, which is an abundant gift of God to humanity. In fact, because of the link to the Eucharist, this is the only miracle that is reported by all the four gospels.

 

However, we can interpret this miracle of feeding the crowd in two ways. First, we can simply interpret it as a miraculous event, pointing to the divine origin and mission of Jesus. Secondly, we can interpret the miracle as the fruit of sharing with one another, for it is possible that once the disciples began to share the little food they had with those around, others also who had brought some food with them started sharing what they had and indeed grace multiplied what they have to the point of having left over. How I wish humanity could learn to share our resources with one another; believe me, the world will witness another miracle of the multiplication of resources that will be enough for everyone with left over for future generations.

 

So, as Jesus heals and feeds the physical aspect of humanity, he also knows that we need the food of the Eucharist to sustain us spiritually for our journey to heaven which is our promised land. Here, Jesus did not bring the loaves and fish out of nowhere. Rather, he took what was offered to him and multiplied them greatly. This bread is the gift of the Eucharist, which we receive back from Jesus, whose heart is always moved with pity and compassion towards us.

 

Dear friends, God loves us so much, that he is willing and ready to satisfy our unquenchable hunger for physical and spiritual things. This is what prophet Hananiah, in our first reading, failed to understand, they spoke to please the king and his listeners, saying before everyone that the Lord would help Judah crush the Babylonians and help reverse all the losses and humiliations that they had suffered under them. But this was not the truth; he only said something that everyone wanted to hear by reassuring false hope. Thus, prophet Jeremiah's rebuking him, made it known that God was going to throw him and all the evil agents that were destroying humanity off the face of the earth.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we are really hungry and in need of your love and satisfaction both physically and spiritually; feed us once again with your heavenly grace and multiply the little bread and fish we share with others and provide for us the basic needs of life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a Fruitful Week.

Homily For Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 4th August, 2024

 

Reading: Exo.16:2-4.12-15; Ps. 78; Eph.4:17.20-24; John 6:24-35

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

“LORD GIVE US THIS BREAD ALWAYS”

 

Reflecting on the ugly situation of hunger, bad governments, greed and selfishness of people and the protests going on in our societies, country and the world at large one can begin to lose hope in humanity and even in God. Today, people are confused; they don’t even know what to believe or who to trust anymore. The questions that come to mind are: To whom shall we run to? What shall we do? Any hope for a better tomorrow? What signs are there for us to see in order to be assured of a better and brighter future for humanity? This present disposition can be likened to the disposition of the people in our Gospel passage today.

 

Here, the Jews who had witnessed the great miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fishes, when confronted with the hard teaching about the person of Jesus, asked Jesus for a sign to prove that he is the Messiah, a sign like the manna which their forefathers ate in the desert as we have it in our first reading today. They said to Jesus that God gave them bread from heaven to eat. For the Jews, the manna was a gift from heaven through their father Moses. So, they wanted such a miraculous sign again.

 

However, Jesus made it clear to the crowd that it was God rather than Moses who provided the manna for the Israelites. Also, he identified himself as the true bread of life that comes from God. That he is God’s divine intervention in our world. He is the gift of God to the world. So he told them solemnly: “I AM the bread of life.”  Using the word “I AM”, he strongly identifies himself with God, a statement that recalls the name God revealed to Moses in the burning bush (Exod 3:14). Jesus goes on to say: “Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

 

Thus, the true manna, the true bread from heaven, is the Word of God, which is Jesus, and this Word is what he teaches us to believe in. Today, this Word is now addressed to us, and we shall do well to pay attention to it because with the events going on in the world today, we too can find ourselves in an ugly situation.

 

A situation where we may no longer have faith in God and start doubting his existence as we are now scared of losing our lives, our health, wealth or even our loved ones. The worst of it is not knowing what to believe anymore, especially in the way our society has been structured; people no longer know their left from their right.

 

Thus, St. Paul, in our second reading, says: unless we have failed to hear him properly when we were taught the truth about our Lord Jesus. For assuming that we have heard about him properly and were taught in him, then, we must have given up our old way of life; we must have put aside our old self, which gets corrupted by following our ugly desires. Our mind must have been renewed by a spiritual revolution so that we can put on the new self that has been created in God’s way, in the goodness and holiness of the truth.

 

Dear friends, I don’t know how you have personally experienced Jesus. I don’t know how deep is you’re understanding of Jesus in the Eucharist as the Bread of Life. I don’t know how the world has separated us from Jesus, our Bread of Life. Are you confused about your faith in God?  I don’t know what you are going through now. Does it seem as if all hope is lost and there is no opportunity again for you? Jesus says: I AM the bread of life, blessed is the one who does not lose faith in him. 

So let us ask the Lord to give us this bread always. Of course, he is waiting for us at the Eucharist, where he feeds us spiritually. Therefore, be courageous, do not be afraid. Be patient, do not lose heart. Rather, let us look up to Jesus, the Bread of Life, for he will surely come to save us.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, whenever we come to Jesus and bond ourselves closely to him, we are identifying ourselves with You. May we constantly embrace Your love for us in the Eucharist as You feed us daily with the bread of life through Your Word. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.  God bless you.

Homily For Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 3rd August, 2024

 

Readings: Jer. 26:11-16.24, Ps. 69, Matt. 14:1-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

WHY IS TRUTH SO EXPENSIVE?

 

One thing that the world hates to hear is the sound of the word "truth". Why! Because it makes the world tremble as most things in the world are built on falsehood and deceit, and people are becoming comfortable with falsehood as a way of life. This is obvious, especially with the ugly situation in our societies today, where humanity is placed in perpetual darkness and confusion as the voices that speak the truth are silenced by all means.

 

Today, people want to be "free" to do whatever they like; they don't want anybody to remind them of the hard truth about the realities of life. Hence, they can do anything just to silence the truth. Thus, the cost of speaking the truth has become so expensive that sometimes it costs the life of an individual or even a whole community or nation. It is even more demanding when the truth to be told has to do with the conversion of one in authority.

 

This is the case with John the Baptist in our Gospel passage today, whose head was the prize for the truth he told to Herod and Herodias. Herod had arrested John and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. For John had told him, ‘It is against the Law for you to have her.’ Herod had wanted to kill him but was afraid of the people, who regarded John as a prophet.

 

But, on the occasion of Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and so delighted Herod that he promised on oath to give her anything she asked. She conspired with the mother and demanded the head of John the Baptist. The king was distressed, but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he ordered John to be beheaded, and the head be given to the girl, who took it to her mother.

 

This same terrible crime is what we have in our first reading today, where the people demanded that the prophet Jeremiah deserve to die since he had prophesied against the city. Jeremiah had told the people that the Lord would destroy their city and their temple if they refused to amend their sinful ways of life and listen to the voice of the Lord God, who was calling them to repentance. These ugly attitudes towards John the Baptist and Jeremiah point to what is done to Jesus in his Passion, demonstrating how good people, especially when they struggle for truth and justice, are often condemned to suffer at the hands of greed and powerful people.

 

 But should we stop speaking the truth because of fear of losing our lives? I don't think so because truth saves a life, brings freedom, it releases tension, brings peace, and it settles quarrels and disputes. Truth is freedom which must be offered to everyone, whoever, whenever and however it will best bring conversion to its enemies, just like John the Baptist did to Herod and Herodias even at the expense of his life.

 

Herod made a bad decision and, out of pride, finds it difficult to change his mind and admit that he was wrong. He did not plan to execute John that night. He was persuaded by Herodias to do so because he was a weak man. He is a slave to the opinion of others; he fears the people who revered John; he also fears the reaction of his guests if he should retract his oath.

 

Dear friends, like Herod, how often do we make decisions out of pride? When we make bad decisions, how quickly are we able to change our minds and admit that we are wrong? Are we like Herodias, who is waiting for an opportunity to silence the innocents who confront us with the truth?  If today we happen to be one of the guests of Herod, what would be our reaction? Will I have protested or stayed silent? Thus, what do we do when we see others suffering injustice? Do we have the courage to protest, even at the cost of losing our lives? Today we are called to speak the truth, for the world needs to hear the truth no matter the cost.

 

LET US PRAY:  Lord God, it is difficult to speak and stand for truth in our world today; give us the grace and courage to become an instrument of your word in truth and deeds just like St. John the Baptist. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you God’s favour and blessings.

Homily For Friday Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 2nd August, 2024

 

Readings: Jer. 26:1-9, Ps. 69, Matt. 13:54-58

 Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia 

STOP LOOKING DOWN ON PEOPLE

 

In life, people are quick to neglect and look down on others, who they believe cannot offer them anything good at the moment. They are quick to forget that everyone, no matter the present condition is a potential instrument for God's blessings. This is the ugly attitude of the people of Nazareth in our Gospel passage today.

 

For 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 his own house’, and he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

 

Thus, out of pride and contempt, the people rejected the blessings God had for them. Such also is the attitude of the people in the first reading today, where God, through the prophet Jeremiah, called the people of Judah to repent and turn away from their sins so that He might forgive them and stop the wrath and the punishments as a result of their many sins. Unless they repent from their sins, what happened to the sanctuary of Shiloh would also happen to them all.

 

But they did not listen to him; rather, they all seized hold of Jeremiah and said, ‘You shall die! Why have you made this prophecy in the name of the Lord? So, in their pride, they treated him with contempt and even planned to kill him. 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.

 

Dear friends, we must stop looking down on people. We should not treat anyone with contempt, for everyone is a potential instrument of God’s blessings and favour. And if you want to make a difference in life, be ready to ignore what people are saying about you now, and forget your past failures and your humble beginning. People may not appreciate you now; they may even say all kinds of things about you just to humiliate and discourage you.

 

Put all of them behind you, work hard for your dreams, give your time to it, sacrifice your sleep and comfort, sweat for it, plan for it, and overcome all your terrors of opposition, enduring pains and obstacles, with the help of God you will succeed and become a source of God's blessings. Then you will sing joyfully to God your strength and all the people will gather about you in praise of your God. And they will say: Is not this the Carpenter's son or daughter? Where, then, did he get all this? Yes, that's who we are, for Jesus is the Carpenter of our success.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord 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.