Homily For Thursday Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 3th October, 2024. The Memorial of St Therese of the Child Jesus

 

Readings: Jobs 19:21-27; Ps. 27;  Luke 10:1-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE HARVEST IS RICH BUT THE LABOURERS ARE FEW

Oftentimes, we find it difficult to actively participate in the mission of Christ, This is because the rebellious nature of humanity has always keep us away from responding to God's invitation to serve, for we have always failed to understand God’s ways of doing things. However, God has not stopped caring and stretching his hands of love towards us. In every generation, God always sends messengers to remind us of his love and plan for humanity.

 

Thus, in our Gospel passage today, we heard how the Lord appointed seventy-two persons and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!

 

Here, Jesus gave us the nature and requirements for carrying out his missionary mandate successfully. So, to continue this great mission he invites his disciples and sends them out, commanding them to see themselves as someone who gives freely of the good they have received from God. Hence, we should offer to others what we have received from God, knowing that it has cost us nothing.

 

We must live a life of detachment that is, in this mission, we are to depend totally on God's providence. Unfortunately, many of the disciples have to face rejection and persecution from people, who through their rebellious attitude have refused to believe in God and are hostile to his message and mission. God has always been so patient, loving, caring and forgiving us. This is what we see in the life of Job in our first reading today when he said: This I know: that my Avenger lives, and he, the Last, will take his stand on earth. After my awaking, he will set me close to him,  and from my flesh I shall look on God.

 This is also what we see in the life of St. Therese of the Child Jesus whose memorial we celebrate today. For when a priest told her that her falling asleep during prayer was due to a want of fervour and fidelity and she should be desolate over it, she wrote “I am not desolate. I remember that little children are just as pleasing to their parents when they are asleep as when they are awake.”

Dear friends, the Lord is sending us as sheep among the wolves of this world. How are we responding to this mission? What is our attitude towards the missionary mandate of Christ? How has the Word of God shaped our lives? Have you ever shed tears after listening to the word of God? As disciples of Christ, we have received a lot from God without payment; we should learn to give without expecting a reward.

 

Today, God is calling us to acknowledge with gratitude all that we have received from God and give freely to others that which we have received. For this act of charity will purify us from pride and self-righteousness, because we are all recipients of God's love, mercy, forgiveness, favour, protection, healing and deliverance. So, we must offer to others these same gifts which we have received.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, today you gave us the requirements and nature of our missionary mandate. Help us to effectively follow these requirements, we ask this through Christ our Lord Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Wednesday Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 2nd October, 2024. The Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels

 

 Readings:  Job 9:1-12.15-16, Ps. 88, Matt.18:1-5.10

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHAT IS THE FUNCTION OF OUR GUARDIAN ANGELS

As humans we often experience some level of favour, providence and protection which we do not expect. Sometime we wonder how we managed to escape some dangerous actions on our way or what has inspired and sustained us in doing great works. 

The answer to this question is found in the memorial we are celebrating today, that is, our Holy Guardian Angels whom God had set before us. Their function is to be our guide and protector in our constant struggle against war that rages in our souls. In this angels we celebrate God’s loving care for each and everyone of us, for God sends them to guide and to protect us. They are higher being then us but God put them at our service. 

The angels have one goal in mind that is the glorification of God, which for our sake consist in our salvation and sanctification. They are prepared to do anything in order to procure our salvation and increase our sanctification. So, angels do protect us physically but more than that, they protect us more spiritually especially guiding and protecting our souls from the danger of sin and condemnation. 

The Angels do this by putting in us a holy fear, or contempt for those evil we know we should avoid. They enlighten our minds in order to help us to know the good we ought to do and the evil we are to avoid, this they do by acting upon the sensible part of our souls, our emotions and sentiments and so inspire us with joy, peace and favour of God. For God communicate his message to us through their mediation.

This is what we see in the life of Job in our first reading where we heard how Job, who although was suffering and passing through many troubles, including his friends who abandoned him and even accused him of wrongdoing remained committed to God in righteousness without blaming neither God nor the people for his misfortunes. 

Thereby teaching each and every one of us how to cooperate with our guardian Angels to respond and react in the moment of trials and difficulties. Thus, in our Gospel passage today Jesus, tell us to be humble like little children in following the directives of our Guardian Angels. As he also warned us from misleading the little children in their faith or in harming them, for their Angels in heaven are constantly interceding for them.

Dear friends, God has always provided for us and protected us. He often send his Angels before us. All we have to do is to trust in the Lord and follow the directives that our Guardian Angels had proposed for us. Because, they are always before God interceding and praying constantly for us. They often speak to us and communicate the message of God to us, but we are often too busy and distracted by the noisy thing of this passing world, which the devil has been using to lead us astray. We can not give-in to his schemes if we remain faithful and attentive to our Holy Guardian Angels.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of our Guardian Angels, today we ask that through their intercession may we always find favour in your sight and before men. Let us always be defended by their protection and rejoice eternally in their company as we say: Angel of God, our guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits us here. Ever this day be at our side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Homily For Tuesday Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 1st October, 2024. The Solemnity of Our Lady Queen & Patroness of NIGERIA. (HAPPY NEW MONTH)

 

Readings: Is.11:1-10, Ps.72, Eph. 2:13-22, Matt.2:13-14.19-23

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

A NATION IN NEED OF RADICAL TRANSFORMATION 

Today we are celebrating our country’s independent, we thank God who has made it possible for us to witness this day. But today’s celebration should plunge us into deep reflection about the ugly condition of this country. We need to ask ourselves, what have we done right? What have we done wrong? How can we do better and what will the future of this country be like?

There is no doubt that the root of all the problems in our world today is the love of power.  For people are ready to do anything to be on power and to retain that power. This is what we see in the life of Herod in our Gospel passage today, where the Holy family of Jesus have to flee away to Egypt, because Herod planned to kill an innocent child for the sake of retaining his power. 

This ugly attitude is not far from us today especially in our country Nigeria which is in the state of distress because of love of power and greediness among the people in power and even the common citizens. This is because the elements of good and bad seem inherent in human condition, little wonder the world involves both good and bad mixed together. This will help us to understand the reason for the corruption, greediness, immoral and social decadence in our country today. 

Dear friends, the rate of corruption and greediness in this country is so appalling. People are never tired of acquiring and embezzling public funds for their own selfish gain. The truth is that, we need a radical transformation. A transformation that will brings about a new out fit that makes one a new person, with a new life, a new mind and a new way of doing things. 

This is possible only when we understand the shortness of this life, the emptiness of this passing world and the danger of greediness, then we will be able to do things the right way.  For this country will be transformed only when the power of love and good will supersedes the love of power, when justice and faithfulness becomes the habit of everyone of us in this country.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, out of selfishness and greediness we have committed a lot of crimes and injustice against one another, grant that through the intercession of Our Lady Queen and Patroness of Nigeria, we may resolve to have genuine love and good will in carrying out our activities in the societies as you guide and direct us to learn how to do the right thing always by letting the power of love to transform the ugly situation in our country. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy new month and God bless you.

Homily For Monday Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 30th September, 2024. The Memorial of St Jerome

 

Readings: Job 1:6-22, Ps.17, Luke 9:46-50

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

TRUE GREATNESS IS FOUND IN HUMBLE SERVICE TO OTHERS 

As human beings we often desire to be great and to do whatever that will make us feel great. Hence our lives become competitive and comparative in nature because greatness gives more ego to our status. This competitive and comparative way of life is what the disciples of Jesus displayed in our Gospel passage today, where we heard how they were arguing about who is the greatest among them. 

This is quite surprising for them to be arguing for such intention just after Jesus had told them that he was going to be betrayed. This shows that his disciples had not grasped his teaching thereby exposing the danger between the mission of Christ and human ambition as a result of ignorance.

For Jesus knowing the intentions of his disciples, showed them the way to identify true greatness and one who has such quality using the images of a humble child. Here, Jesus surprised his disciples by linking true greatness to that of humility and simplicity of a little child and also showed how  children can be the subject of a parable that reveals the vanity and deception found in some great persons. Because children are docile, humble, teachable, loving, forgiven and dependent.

Thus, Jesus explains that in the kingdom of heaven, true greatness is found in humility and children serve as a symbol of humility  for they are dependent on adult for everything just as we also are dependent on God. Little children serve as concrete symbol of the simplicity which is a condition for entering the kingdom of heaven. So, in children we see these great virtues of simplicity and humility being placed.

And these act of simplicity and humility are what characterized the life of Job in our first reading today where Satan said to God that Job’s faith was only strong because he was so blessed and protected by God, but if he should lose them all, then he would surely abandon God and curse him. This is while God allowed Satan to attacked Job and took away everything he had, his great possessions and his  family. But job in simplicity and humility remained faithful to God saying: naked I came from my mother’s womb naked I shall return. The Lord gave, the Lord has taken back. Blessed be the name of the Lord!’

Dear friends, today we see in the lives of the disciples the danger between human ambition and the mission of Christ especially in the midst of ignorance and pride. Therefore we are reminded that true greatness and ambition are found in humble service to others. But this is exactly what many of us are lacking. For we are so proud, greed and selfish, for we are deeply attached to the pleasurable things of this passing world which prevents us from seeking true greatness that leads to heavenly kingdom. 

This is not with St. Jerome whose memorial we celebrate today for he involved and experiencing all sorts of worldly pleasures as a young student of philosophy. But later his conscience led him to conversion into the Christian faith as he renounced all of his past sinful ways of life and devoted himself deeply into the study of the Scriptures, from which comes all his great works we are still studying today.

 LET US PRAY: Lord God, amidst the danger of human ambition in relation to your mission, we have become so much engrossed with the competitive activities of this world, seeking to be great in things that are passing away, grant that, we may embrace true greatness rooted in the humble service of our neighbours, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed and fruitful week ahead.

Homily For Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 29th September, 2024

 

Readings:  Num. 11:25-29; Ps. 19; James 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-43.47-48

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE SACRIFICIAL AND COLLABORATIVE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY MANDATE

There is no doubt that the Christian faith can be very demanding and ambiguous for those who do not understand the sacrificial nature of our missionary life. To deal with these challenges, we must learn to discipline ourselves and collaborate with one another. So discipline and collaboration must be central to the Christian mission, since the Christian faith comes across different categories of people which requires that there should be room to accommodate one another in that single language of sacrificial love towards Christ missionary mandate. 

This very discipline and collaborative nature of our faith is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today when he said: Anyone who is not against us is for us. But anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone round his neck. And if your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that cannot be put out.

Here Jesus is speaking to his disciples and to the people about doing the works for the glory of God, saying that we should not stop people from doing the good works of God even if the people did not belong to the same group with us. This is because, the disciples of Jesus saw some people who were doing works in the name of Jesus, casting out demons and healing in his name, and they tried to stop them from doing so. 

Why? Because the disciples having received from Jesus the authority and power to perform miracle they wanted to keep these gift and authority exclusive to themselves. But Jesus rebuked such selfish attitude showed by the disciples, because Jesus desires that everyone who wishes to do the work of God should be accommodated regardless of their background and affiliations.

This was also the situation in our first reading today where we heard how Eldad and Medad also received the Spirit of God and began prophesying amongst the people, just like the seventy elders appointed to be the leaders of the people of Israel during their Exodus to the promise land. But some people complained and tried to stop them because they are not among the seventy elders. 

However, Moses rebuked them from complaining and wished that all God’s people should be able to prophecy. This desire of Moses no doubt was prophetic. For this in fact came true during the Pentecost day, when God sent down His Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus in the upper room, about seventy of them a symbol of the seventy elders of the Israelites.

Dear friends, by the virtue of our baptism and confirmation we have received the same Spirit of God, that gives us the authority to prophecy and do great works for God. Therefore, we too have been entrusted with the missionary mandate of Christ. So, is our responsibility to make good use of the various gifts and opportunities God has given to us by ensuring that we discipline ourselves from excess desires for the pleasurable things of this passing world which are distracting us from God and our mission. 

Little wonder St. James in our second reading today, point ways in which we have been distracted by the excess desires for riches of this passing world and as a result have misused and abused the various gifts and talents that God has given us out  of our pride, envy, corruption, selfishness and immoral ways of life.

Therefore, we are called today to know that our Christian missionary mandate requires discipline and detachment from all the sinful actions that have corrupted some parts of our life as human beings, these ugly attitudes we must cut off from our lives. We are also called to learn how to collaborate and accommodate other people who speak the one true language of Christ which is sacrificial love for one another. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit who has always being our guide, help us to learn how to be more disciplined by doing away with those things that lead us to sin. Help us to be more accommodating and collaborating with one another as we carryout your missionary mandate of love for each another. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday and God bless.

Homily For Saturday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 28th September, 2024

 

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Readings: Eccl. 11:9-12:8, Ps.90, Luke 9:43-45

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

HUMAN LIFE IS VANITY VANISHING WITHOUT GOD

Reflecting on my personal experience about the emptiness of human life. This happened on one occasion as a seminarian, when I was privileged to be among the people to visit a cemetery at Oke Are in Ibadan. On our way to the cemetery which is located on a hill in the heart of Ibadan, passing through the market and streets all I could see were people struggling, buying and selling, fighting and cursing each other. I also saw a lot of beggars, sick and poor people, among this people were the rich, the educated, as well as their leaders both traditional and political. It was indeed an interesting community. 

But getting to the cemetery I saw in a wall names and dates of so many men and women who had passed on from this interesting community. Than I asked myself in my deep reflection, where are all these people whose names are listed in this wall? Where they like us before? Are we going to be like them later? Where will all of us in this beautiful community be in the next hundred years? 

With this in mind I realized that there is time for everything in this world, a time to be born, and a time to die. Then, the dust returns to the earth as it once came from it, and the spirit to God who gave it. For vanity of vanities, the Preacher says. All is vanity. Just the way the Book of Ecclesiastes in our first reading today tells us saying: Rejoice in your youth, you who are young; let your heart give you joy in your young days. Follow the promptings of your heart and the desires of your eyes. But this you must know: for all these things God will bring you to judgement. 

This is not different from what Jesus is reminding his disciples in our Gospel passage today where after his great miracles, when everyone was full of admiration for all he did, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘For your part, you must have these words constantly in your mind: that the Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.’ But they did not understand him. They did not remember that there is a time for everything. 

Dear friends, human life is vanity vanishing without God. So, today we are reminded about the true reality of life, that we all are going to die one day and the dust of our flesh and bones will return to the earth while our Spirit retire to God, knowing that we will account for how we lived this life. We are going to give back to God the gift of life he has given us, because our life is a temporal assignment. 

So, why not start living this life according to the present reality since we do not know how and when we are going to account for it. Why not accept joyfully who we are now as we work hard to be better tomorrow. Remember, everything is in the hands of God, we brought nothing in this world and we are taking nothing out of it. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, our life is meaningless without you. Grant that we may realize the shortness of this life and so prepare to give account on how we have lived our lives in this passing world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful use of today's graces.

Homily For Friday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 27th September, 2024. The Memorial of St. Vincent De Paul

 

Readings: Readings: Eccl. 3:1-11, Ps.144, Luke 9:18-22

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND CONVICTION ABOUT THE LORD JESUS?

 

In life there is always a moment when we will want to examine and know if our friends can really be trusted, if they truly know and understand who we are and what we represent? This is because, as social beings, we often make friends who we can confide and entrust with our inner most thoughts and plans. But this friendship does not come automatically, it is developed gradually.

 

This is the situation between Jesus and his disciples in our Gospel passage today, when Jesus asked them saying: Who do people say I Am?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ. But he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone anything about this. For the Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.

 

Here, we see how Peter expressed his personal 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. This is because Peter’s gift of faith comes from his personal encounter with the person of 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 teaching of Jesus because they lack the faith and conviction about his personality, even when Jesus had 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 our soul, so that we can profess our faith with deeper meaning and conviction. This faith is necessary in order to accommodate and overcome the ugly event of persecutions, condemnation and blackmail that we encounter everyday.

 

Little wonder, the book of Ecclesiastes in our first reading today  tells us that there is time for everything, for every purpose, and everything will indeed happen as God wills it, and not up to us to decide what will happen to us, as there are indeed many things out there beyond our control and understanding. For what does a man gain for the efforts that he makes? All that he does is apt for its time; but though he has permitted man to consider time in its wholeness, but man on his own cannot comprehend the work of God from beginning to end.

 

Dear friends, having heard the teachings and great works of Jesus in the scriptures and traditions of the Church, the question remains: what can I say is my personal experience of Jesus? Have I personally encountered and identified our Lord Jesus in my life? How has my 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 as regards to our faith as Christians. 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. Therefore, let us turn towards God once again with all our hearts and devote our whole lives in seeking to know Him more and more.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you revealed to Peter the true identity of Jesus your Son, help us through the intercessions of St. Vincent to personally identify the personality of Jesus in our lives and so profess our faith with deeper meaning and conviction. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.