Homily For Thursday Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 25th August, 2024

 

The Memorial of The Beheading of St. John the Baptist

Readings: 1Cor. 1:1-9; Ps.145; Mark 6:17-29

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

LORD GIVE US THE COURAGE TO STAND FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE

 

In our society today people hates to hear the sound of the word truth. I wonder why people often tremble when they hear the word ‘truth’? This is obvious in our world today, especially with the ugly situation in our societies, where humanity is placed in the perpetual darkness of corruption, greed and confusion, as the voices that speak the truth are silenced by all means.

 

Today people don’t want to be transparent and honest in their dealings with others and even with themselves. They don't want anybody to remind them of the hard truth about the realities of life and 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. It is even more demanding when the truth to be told has to do with someone in authority.

 

This is the case with John the Baptist whom we celebrate the memorial of his Martyrdom. For in our Gospel passage today, we heard how his head was the prize for the truth he told to Herod and Herodias concerning his brother Philip’s wife. John had told him that it was against the Law for him to have his brother’s wife. Herod had wanted to kill John but was afraid of the people, who regarded him 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 with an 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.

 

Here, Herod made a bad decision, which 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 was a slave to other people’s opinions, for he feared the people who revered John; he also feared the reaction of his guests if he should retract his oath.

 

These ugly attitudes towards John the Baptist prefigured what they did 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. This same terrible crime is what people are facing every day in our families, communities, country and the world at large. For this same reason, a lot of people have died and some will still die and some will continue to suffer because of the truth they have spoken to the enemies of truth. 

 

 But should we stop speaking the truth because of fear of losing our lives? I don't think so, because truth saves life, it brings freedom, it releases tension, it brings peace, and it settles quarrels and disputes. Truth is the freedom that 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. Thus, St. Paul in our first reading today tells us never to stop thanking God for all the graces we have received through Jesus Christ, especially in our teachers and preachers.

 

Dear friends, why do we prefer lies and deception over truth? How far can we stand the cost of speaking the truth amid influential and ‘powerful' people? Like Herod, how often do we make bad decisions out of pride and fail to reverse them? When we make such bad decisions, how quickly are we able to change our minds, to admit that we are wrong? Also, 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 speak up, even at the cost of losing, our job, our position, our vocation, friends and even 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.  But St. John the Baptist died for the truth he spoke to Herod, through his intercession, grant us the grace and courage to become the instrument of your word in truth and deeds and so speak the truth always to humanity no matter the cost. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful day.

Homily For Wednesday Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 28th August, 2024. The Memorial of St. Augustine

 

Readings: 2Thess:3 6-10.16-18, Ps.128, Matt.23:27-32

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

WHY HAVE WE BECOME LIKE A WHITEWASHED TOMB?

 

In our society today, the word “packaging” is one of the popular terminologies used by people to describe how they make things that are not too good to look extremely good, and this has a serious negative effect in our society today, as we have actually lost focus of how we ought to do things. Thus, most people and things that appear to be good to us are not really what we think they are.

 

For most people, the things we see are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly appear beautiful and draw the admiration of people, but within them are full of dead man's bones and all sorts of corruption just the way Jesus described the attitude and lifestyle of Scribes and Pharisees in the Gospel passage when he addressed their attitude which is not far from what we have today in our societies.

 

This is because the scribes and the Pharisees are interested mostly in the external beauty of things around them while neglecting the essence. They are self-satisfied and think that they are above the law. They look good from the outside but ugly and dirty within. They neglected the deeper things around them. They are interested only in worldly goods and not the things of the heart like justice, mercy, love and compassion.

 

So Jesus challenged them as he challenges us to change our ugly ways of life, to change from within us. This is difficult to challenge. Nevertheless, we need to change in so many ways, especially as regards our attitude towards things in this passing world. Just like St Augustine, whose memorial we celebrate today when he realised that true happiness is found in interior living and not in material things we possess, he embraced God and became a great instrument in preparing humanity towards the kingdom of God. We, too, can be another great instrument of preparation in God’s hands if we make ourselves available.

 

Dear friends, we might not feel very comfortable with the idea of Jesus rebuking and uttering terrible words of admonition to the Scribes and Pharisees. But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: Have we really embraced the Word of God we hear every day? Is the Word bearing fruits in our lives?

 

Can we recognize in this fragile condition of our societies the great things that the Lord is doing to save humanity and the need to turn back to God by changing our ugly life that seems like a whitewashed tomb? Hence, Jesus is saying woe to us for failing to embrace and live out the gospel teachings because he seems to expect some sort of changes in us when we hear his Words or when we encounter him in prayers.

 

Therefore, God is calling us to repentance; He wants to come into our souls and dwell. But he cannot dwell in a heart that is like a whitewashed tomb. Thus, Jesus is rebuking all humanity, he wants us to stop living a life of packaging,  deception and corruption.  And this is what St. Paul is telling us in our first reading today when he said, we gave you a rule when we were with you: do not let anyone have any food if he refuses to do any work.

 

Hence, if we believe in God and put our trust in Him, we will have the assurance and guarantee of restoration, for God does not want us to suffer the consequences of our sins; that is why He keeps reminding us about the upcoming danger. But, if humanity constantly refuses to change, we will end up in self-destruction.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are living in a world of whitewashed tombs, help us to be wise enough to discern and not be carried away or be distracted by the beauty of the whitewashed tombs we see in most people and things around the world today. And as we struggle with the events of life, may God guide and direct our paths. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Tuesday, the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 27th August 2024. The Memorial of St. Monica

 

Readings: 2Thes. 2:1-3. 14-17, Ps.96, Matt.23:23-26

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

LEARN TO BE A GOOD LEADER AND NOT HYPOCRITICAL LEADER LIKE THE PHARISEES

 

God created humanity to be managers of all that He created. To carry out this responsibility, He gave us the mantle of leadership as one of the characteristics of the human person, that which makes us unique from every other creature. Thus leadership is a gift from God by which we serve Him and our neighbour responsibly in this world.

 

But this great gift has often been abused by humanity because of greed, love of power, fame and selfishness. This was the attitude of most of the Scribes and the Pharisees in the Gospel today. They had the responsibility to lead the people to the Kingdom of Heaven, but they neither entered nor allowed those who wanted to enter to go in.

 

Hence, Jesus called them hypocrites and blind guides because they misused the gift of leadership entrusted to them. Many of them multiply the laws to suit their agenda by enforcing a very strict interpretation and application of the law to the smallest details while neglecting the true purpose and meaning of the law. They only focus on the letter while neglecting the spirit of the Law, thereby making the law a mere formality that gives room for people to take God’s law for granted.

 

And such attitudes towards the Law are meaningless if not accompanied properly by the desire and understanding from the heart and soul that truly love God. Thus, he called us to embrace love, justice, mercy, and good faith as good qualities of a leader.

 

Meanwhile, St. Paul, in our second reading, tells us to stand firm and keep the traditions that we were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter and not be swayed by worldly temptations and false leaders who only wish to achieve their ambitions and mislead others from the path of truth. He also, asked us not to be too excited or alarmed by any prediction or rumour or any letter claiming to come from him, implying that the Day of the Lord has already arrived. We should never let anyone deceive us in any way.

 

Dear friends, What type of a leader are you? Are you a blind and hypocritical leader or a committed and responsible leader? This is important because the major problems in our societies are caused by bad leadership. So today, we are called not to be hypocrites or blind guides but good leaders who are committed and responsible with whatever we are entrusted with. As leaders we are called to serve God and humanity in any capacity we find ourselves.

 

Remember, the first person to lead is your very self from which we can extend it to others in our families, societies and the world at large. This is what we see in the life of St Monica, whose memorial we celebrate today, for she devoted her life and talents to praying for the conversion of her son Augustine. She once said to him: "Son, one thing there was, for which I desired to remain still a little longer in this life, that I should see you a Catholic Christian before I died. This God has granted me in superabundance, in that I see you his servant to the contempt of all worldly happiness. What, then, am I doing here."

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you have given to all humanity the grace of leadership, but we have often misused it because of greed and selfishness. As we embrace the gift of leadership today, may we never be tired of doing what is good? And as we struggle it out the remaining days of this month and the rest of the year, may You’re the sole fount of true wisdom and knowledge guide all our decisions in life, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Monday Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 26th August 2024

 

Readings: 2Thess.1:1-5.11-12, Ps. 96, Matt.23:13-22

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

STOP SWEARING UNNECESSARILY

 

Oftentimes, I hear people say: I swear to say the truth, nothing but the truth. These are the words we often hear people say in the courts, in the streets, in the market places and even in the Church to express and affirm what they want to do or what they want to say. But I wonder why we don’t mean what we say or fulfil what we promised.

 

This very ugly attitude is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today, where the Scribes and the Pharisees, who had the responsibility to lead people to the Kingdom of Heaven, have become an obstacle for they neither enter nor allow those who want to enter to go in.

 

Thus, Jesus called them hypocrites and blind guides because they misused the gift of leadership entrusted to them. For they say, “If a man swears by the Temple, it has no force; but if a man swears by the gold of the Temple, he is bound.” But Jesus said to them you fools and blind! Which is of greater worth, the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred?

 

Therefore, when a man swears by the altar he is swearing by that and by everything on it. And when a man swears by the Temple he is swearing by that and by the One who dwells in it. And when a man swears by heaven he is swearing by the throne of God and by the One who is seated there.’

 

Here, Jesus is referring to the ceremonious way in which the Pharisees took oaths. It was one of the things in the culture of their time. That is, people swearing oaths with impressive sounding words before the congregations without fulfilling them like our politicians today. But what were the words of these oaths anyway?

 

They were forms of words designed to impress people. There were no indications that the person swearing the oath had any power over the things that the oath mentioned. It was just using words to impress and so produce acceptance of things in relation to the oath, when in fact, this is completely fraudulent because the persons taking the oath do not intend to keep the promises or commitments that they were confirming by taking that oath. They were just fooling the people. Jesus is saying, in essence, that we should not let this foolery ever be part of us because it is hypocrisy, and Jesus is against hypocrisy in all its forms, especially when it has to do with taking the name of God in vain.

 

To take the name of God in vain means to invoke His name unnecessarily or profanely, to use it without humbly acknowledging the holy character of the One whose name we are invoking. To invoke the name of God in an oath or vow when our statement is false, inconsequential or when we do not intend to honour our words is a direct violation of the third commandment of God. Therefore, the issue Jesus is addressing here goes to the very core of our character as Christians, to the heart of what it means to live as a child of God, especially in a society like ours, where deception and falsehood are the order of the day.

 

Dear friends, Jesus calls us today to be sincere in everything we do or say. That is why he commanded us not to swear an oath; rather, we should say yes when we mean yes and no when we mean no so as not to become hypocrites and liars. So, today, we are called not to be hypocrites or blindguideses but good leaders who are committed and responsible with whatever we are entrusted with.

 

Little wonder St. Paul, in our first reading, tells us to stand firm and keep the traditions that were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself strengthen you in everything good that you do or say.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, oftentimes we have been hypocrites, blind guides of the things you entrusted to us. May we never take your name in vain or tired of doing what is good. And may we be guided along the path of truth, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful week ahead.

Homily For the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 25th August 2024

 

Readings: Jos.24:1-2.15-17.18; Ps. 34; Eph. 5:22-32; John 6:60-69

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

WHAT SHALL WE DO WHEN OUR FAITH AND LIFE SITUATIONS SEEM DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND?

 

Life is about making good choices, and every day of our lives, we make choices that we think are good for us. But sometimes some good choices are very difficult to make. However, the root of any choice we make in life comes from the fundamental option we have made as human person. Our fundamental option is the option we make for or against God, to love or to be selfish, to be good or evil, to be holy or sinful. This option has a way of influencing any other choices we make in life.

 

Today, in our Gospel passage, we heard how people reacted when faced with hard choices on account of the teachings of Jesus. For as he ends the discourse on the Bread of Life, he said to them: whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. So, hearing this hard teaching, many of his disciples decided to walk away. Then Jesus asked the twelve: will you also go away? Peter answered, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.

 

Following these responses, we can see how important it is for us to make the fundamental option for God if we want to follow him. As we heard that most of the followers of Jesus left him behind after he spoke of himself as the Bread of Life. Thus, many of them refused to believe in such hard truth and teaching. This may be a result of their ignorance, impatience and inability to accommodate difficult moments and realities that are beyond them.

 

This same choice is what Joshua placed before the people of Israel in our first reading today when he said to all the people, ‘If you will not serve the Lord, choose today whom you wish to serve, whether the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are now living. As for me and my House, we will serve the Lord.’

 

St. Paul, also in our second reading, presents the same choice for us when he commanded us to be subjected to one another in reference to Christ in choices that we have to make, especially husband and wife. He said Wives should regard their husbands as they regard the Lord, since as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the head of his wife; and as the Church submits to Christ, so should wives to their husbands, in everything.

 

Husbands should love their wives just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy. In the same way, husbands must love their wives as they love their bodies; for a man to love his wife is for him to love himself. A man never hates his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; that is the way Christ treats the Church because it is his body – and we are its living parts

 

Dear friends, every day we are called to make this fundamental option between God the Creator and the creatures who have made themselves gods. This is the reality of our faith in Christ, so the Christian faith we have is not something we should take for granted, as we may often find it difficult to remain faithful, especially when we are confronted with arguments and realities that are opposite and in contrast to our faith. Yet, at the same time, we are called to continue to be faithful and dedicate ourselves completely in obedience to the teachings of Christ. We are called today to develop a divine way of understanding the mysteries of God, but not rejecting them because we do not understand them.

 

Thus, when the articles of our faith or our life situations seem difficult, we are called to come to Jesus and remain faithful to him. We are called to believe in him who came from above and bears testimony of heavenly things. We are called like the apostles to say, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life. We are to bear witness to these things through the power of the Holy Spirit, knowing that our choice for God is a choice for love, and a life of love is a sacrificial life neither easy nor comfortable.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, our hope is all in you when in difficult moments of decision-making regarding our faith in you; give us the grace and courage like St. Peter to bear authentic witness to the faith we have found in Christ Jesus, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. Happy Sunday and remain blessed.

Homily For Saturday Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 24th August, 2024. Feast of St. Bartholomew

 

Readings: Rev. 21:9-14, Ps. 145, John 1:45-51

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

CAN YOU BE THAT PERSON OF INTEGRITY  LIKE ST. BARTHOLOMEW?

 

Reflecting on the ugly situation in our society today, where morals and virtuous actions are no longer valuable and fashionable as the society seems to be living, promoting and celebrating artful deception, dishonesty, corruption and fraudsters. Integrity has become a virus to be eliminated as quickly as possible while heroes of deception and fraudsters are honoured and celebrated.

 

Today, we are called to change this ugly attitude and learn from St. Bartholomew, whose feast we celebrate today. A man of integrity whom Jesus, in our Gospel passage, gave a great compliment when he met him and said, “Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile.” For there was no deception in him. Jesus could see right away that he was forthright, honest, open, plainspoken, straightforward, innocent and unpretentious.

 

Bartholomew is commonly known as Nathaniel in the Gospel according to John. A name which means “gift of God” and tradition has it that he preached the Gospel to Armenia, where he embraced martyrdom by being skinned alive before being beheaded. He is now known to be the patron of butchers, plasterers, and tanners, and he is also invoked to intercede in cases of convulsions.

 

Bartholomew thought that nothing good could come out of Nazareth, but when he encountered Jesus, he exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the son of God”, Jesus acknowledged his faith and promised him that he would see the heaven-opened angels ascending and descending. This can be like what the angel revealed in our first reading, saying: ‘Come here, and I will show you the bride that the Lamb has married.’

 

We heard that the spirit took him to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed him Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond.

 

This teaches us that we should not underrate people because of their humble background. But like Phillip, who introduced Jesus to Nathaniel, we are called to share our experience of Jesus with those we encounter in life, no matter their background and ideology.

 

Dear friends, the world needs people of integrity like St. Bartholomew, for we are called to imitate him. So, let us be that sign of integrity in a world full of corruption and deceit. Let our everyday encounter with Jesus help to transform us, and by so doing we can transform the ugly situation in our societies and the world at large through our witnessing.

 

Therefore, let us, like Bartholomew, be courageous and exemplary in our actions so that, living by our faith and doing what the Lord has commanded us to do, we may become great instruments that will win more people and save many more souls for the Lord.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, today we are reminded of the need to live a life of integrity in a world full of deception and corruption. Grant us through the intercession of St Bartholomew, the grace to embrace your word and experience your presence in our lives and so change our ugly and sinful ways of life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you uncommon favour from the Lord this weekend.

Homily For Friday Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 23rd August, 2024

 

Readings:  Ezek. 37:1-14, PS.107, Matt. 22:34-40

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

WHAT IS THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT OF GOD?

 

As human beings, we always desire to know what is required of us in this life. This is even more serious when we are faced with the realities of life, then we wish to know the things that should be our priority. What should be the most important thing to focus our energy on? What should become the foundation of all the things we need to do?

 

This is the deposition of the Pharisees and the Sadducees in our Gospel passage today, who came together and asked Jesus questions concerning which commandment is the greatest. In response Jesus reminded them of the 'Shema Israel' - שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל, the prayer that they knew and recited from their earliest years from which they learned that the most important thing in life is to love God with all their heart, and with all thy soul, and with all their mind; that is, with all the powers and the more noble faculties of the soul, the mind, the understanding, judgment, and will. Jesus then added that to love one’s neighbour is the second priority.

 

In other words, loving God with all our heart, with all our understanding and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves is what is required of us and it is the foundation of all the things we have to do. Jesus set the standard of love not just by the love he was able to show but also by the depth of love which he showed by dying and rising for our salvation.

 

An event that prophet Ezekiel prophesied in our first reading talking about the rising of the dried bones, which represents the ugly condition of the great soldiers of the chosen people of God, who are saying, our bones are dried up, our hope has gone; we are as good as dead.” But the Lord says I am now going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves, my people, and lead you back to the soil of life again.

 

Dear friends, the question we need to ask ourselves today is: do we truly love God and our neighbours? This is important because love is the centre of all the teachings of Jesus, for love is a gift from God to humanity. It is like the stream water, so innocent and pure. True love is not hidden; it radiates from the innermost being of a person who experienced it. If we love God, then, we will see him in others and treat them justly and honourably. We will not hurt our neighbours but do our utmost best to live in peace with them.

 

The truth is that the absence of love is the cause of all the problems in our world today, as most families exist by grace and not by love. Imagine how wonderful the world would be if we all loved one another. How I wish we could invest our time and resources in ensuring love and unity in our dealings with one another. Believe me, we will not only be fulfilling the first and greatest commandments of God, but we will be building a happy community.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, in you we found the fullness of love, for you made us to share in your love. Grant that we may truly love you and our neighbours and so conquer the world full of hatred, self-centeredness, greed and corruption, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day