Homily For Thirty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 24th November, 2024. The Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe

 

Homily For Thirty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 24th November, 2024. The Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe

Readings: Dan. 7:13-14; Ps.93; Rev. 1:5-8; John 18:33-37

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

COME LET US CELEBRATE CHRIST THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE

In the year 1925, the period when the world was still recovering from the ugly event of the First World War that ended in 1918, the period when humanity turned away from the teachings of the Gospel, in search of worldly powers and dominion apart from God, Pope Pius XI promulgated this Feast of Christ the King. The Pope believed that the celebration of the Feast of Christ the Universal King would be appropriate at that period in order to call humanity to conversion and renewal of loyalty to Jesus the True Universal King. So since then every last Sunday of the liturgical year, the Holy Church celebrates the solemnity of Christ the Universal King.

Therefore, as we celebrate this great event, the questions that always come to mind are: what is the nature of this Kingship of Christ? How does it relate to the events of human history? What is the effect of this Kingship in our society today? What message or lessons can we learn from it? This same question is the issue in our Gospel passage today. Where we heard Pilate asking Jesus about his mission and the nature of his kingship.

So, Jesus replied, ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.’ ‘So you are a king then?’ Pilate asked him. And Jesus said ‘It is you who say it’. ‘Yes, I am a king. I was born for this; I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth, and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.”

Here, Jesus gave us the answers to all the questions we have in mind concerning his kingship. He made us know that his kingdom is beyond the activities of this passing world. So, we are called to look to the future with more insight into the ultimate goal of history towards the eternal kingdom of Christ. For he was with the Father in the beginning, when the world was created, and he will fully manifest his Lordships at the end of time when he will come as a triumphant King and judge humanity based on our actions, deeds and faith.

Then will be time for great separation, when the good will be separated from the bad, holy from sinful, righteous from evil, sheep from goats of which our deeds will reveal who we are and where we belong as we heard from prophet Daniel in our first reading in relation to the redemption brought by Christ Jesus as we have in our second reading today, that Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the First-born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings, and priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power forever and ever

Dear friends, no doubt that we are living in a world full of greed and selfish people who are swallowed in values of egoism and materialism, with uncontrollable desires for pleasure. We are called today to embrace the teachings of Christ the Universal King for this is what today’s celebration requires of us.

Therefore, as we celebrate this great event, let us turn toward Christ for he is our true King. Following him means carrying our cross, forgetting ourselves, and faithfully obeying his commandment of sacrificial love. For it is by the blood of his cross, that Jesus reveals the nature of his Kingship, not in saving his life, but in offering it as a ransom for our salvation.

Thus, trying to do away with the cross in our lives deprives our souls of true love and loyalty to Christ our King, who today wants to reign supreme in our hearts and souls. So, as we celebrate Christ the King of the Universe, let us join in the triumphant procession holding palm branches singing Hosanna in the Highest, recalling the inscription above the cross: Jesus the King of the Jews.

Let us show him honour, not just with palm branches but with the splendour of heart full of love and merciful deeds. Let us in joy express and spread before his presence the garments of our heavy hearts weighed down by sins along with the inner desires of our souls so that he can pass through our souls and purify our whole being so as to rule in our hearts as the King of Peace, for that is the nature of his Kingship. Today we too can look around us, our families, our cities, societies, country and the world at large, and feel sorrow at so much greediness, corruption, suffering and disregard for the truth, justice and what is right and discover that peace is nowhere to be found.

And if humanity is not careful with the grave danger around us despite the great works of science and technology, the only place we can find peace will be in the grave at the dread peace of death. Those in Gaza, Ukraine and some parts of our country will have a better understanding of the seriousness of this reality around us. Therefore, as we celebrate this great event, let us turn toward Christ for peace, knowing that he is our true King of Peace.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly King, as we celebrate the universal Kingship of Christ your Son, amidst the hostile forces and evil of this passing world, may we be victorious as you fill us with the peace and joy of your kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a blessed Christ the King celebration.

Homily For Saturday Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 23rd November, 2024

 

Readings: Rev. 11:4-12; Ps.144; Luke:20:27-40

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DO YOU TRULY BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION?

Oftentimes, when we talk about the teaching on resurrection, people always want to know what and how it is going to be like. We often get this teaching wrong because we are using our little knowledge of the things of this passing world to judge the heavenly things. This is the disposition of the Sadducees in our Gospel passage today, for since they do not believe in the resurrection, they decided to challenge Jesus concerning the notion of resurrection using the analogy of marital union in relation to afterlife events in order to discredit the teachings of Jesus.

As usual, Jesus goes on to explain how people will relate to each other in the event of life after death. Those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world and in the resurrection from the dead do not marry because they can no longer die, for they are the same as the angels, and being children of the resurrection, they are sons and daughters of God. He then challenged the Sadducees’ unbelief about life after death.

He reminded them of the scene where the voice from the burning bush identifies itself to Moses saying: “I AM the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6). For He is the God of the living and not of the dead. After this reply of Jesus to both the Pharisees and the Sadducees, they no longer dared to ask him any questions.

To emphasise more the issues about resurrection St. John in our first reading today said: after the three-and-a-half days, God breathed life into the decaying corpses in the great city and they stood up, and everybody who saw it happen was terrified; then they heard a loud voice from heaven say to them, ‘Come up here’, and while their enemies were watching, they went up to heaven in a cloud.

Dear friends, do you truly believe in the resurrection? Can our attitudes towards the things of this passing world show that we truly believe in the resurrection? How often have I preached and taught people about my faith in the resurrection of Jesus? Do I have any personal experience of the resurrection of the dead that I can share with people? How deep is my understanding of the teachings of Jesus on the mystery of resurrection? How far can I go in trying to understand the mystery of resurrection and instruct others who are ignorant of this?

Friends, we believe in the resurrection not so much because of Jesus’ arguments here, but because of his resurrection, of which he promises to share his life and joy with us forever. Jesus tells us that we are children of the resurrection and children of God who are neither married nor given in marriage in the heavenly kingdom.

Though it is natural for us to ask questions about the resurrection of life, we should not expect to understand it fully while we are still alive. All that matters is for us to use our little understanding of this teaching and revelation to improve our relationship with our God and neighbours for what we shall be after death is known by God alone.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we look forward to the resurrection of mankind. May we be inspired by the great example of our Lord Jesus and so obtain the joy of his resurrection. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful weekend.

Homily For Friday Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 22nd November, 2024. The Memorial of St. Cecilia

 

Readings: Rev. 10:8-11 , Ps.119, Luke:19:45-48

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WE ARE GOD’S TEMPLE IN NEED OF CLEANSING

The temple, as we know, is described as the sacred dwelling place of God. That’s a sacred space where humanity encounters the Divine presence of God. It is a symbolic space where God desires to live together with humanity and rule the world through them. Therefore it is very important to ensure that such Sacred Space (Temple) is kept sacred at all times.

Little wonder, in our Gospel passage today, we heard a very brief story of how Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem and drove away the traders from the courts of the Temple, saying: “My house will be a house of prayer. But you have turned it into a den of thieves.” So he chased out all the dishonest, selfish and greedy merchants who were making profits by cheating the faithful pilgrims who came to the Temple to worship God.

Here, Jesus was not just concerned with cleansing the temple of Jerusalem but also the temple of the human heart, that is, our souls. He is objecting to the corruption of the sacred. Our body and soul are the temple of the Lord and belong to him alone. It is a sacred space, a house of prayer which must not be given over to the false gods of money, greed and sin of immorality. 

And by clearing the Temple, the Lord has also urged us all to clear our own spiritual Temples, that is our body, mind, heart and soul, in which God dwells. That is why St. John, in our first reading, described in his vision the gift of God’s Words to his disciples and the Church, using figurative language. Here, he described how wonderful the truth of God’s Words is to us, yet it is bitter for us to embrace it fully and let it bear fruit in our lives. This is what we see in the life of St. Cecilia whose memorial we celebrate today.

St. Cecilia came from an extremely rich family and was given in marriage to a young man named Valerian. She wore sackcloth next to her skin, fasted, and invoked the saints, angels, and virgins, beseeching them to guard her virginity. During her wedding ceremony, she was said to have sung in her heart to God, and before the consummation of her marriage, she told Valerian, her husband, that she had taken a vow of virginity and had an angel protecting her. 

Valerian asked to see the angel as proof, and Cecilia told him he would have eyes to see once he travelled to the third milestone on the Via Appia (Appian Way). There he was baptized by Pope Urbanus. Following his baptism, Valerian returned to his wife and found an angel at her side. The angel then crowned Cecilia with a chaplet of rose and lily. 

Cecilia was later arrested and condemned to be suffocated in the baths. Later, an executioner was sent to cut off her head in the baths, struck her three times but was unable to decapitate her, so he left her bleeding, and she lived for three days. Crowds came to her and collected her blood while she preached to them or prayed. On the third day, she died and was buried by Pope Urban and his deacons. Today St. Cecilia is regarded as the patroness of music because she heard heavenly music in her heart when she was married and is represented in art with an organ or organ pipes in her hand.

Dear friends, our souls are the sacred dwelling of God’s Temple. Thus, it must be made sacred at all times by ensuring that we get rid of all corruptions, wickedness, pride, ego, greed, wrath and all other sorts of evils within us. We must resist them and strive to inspire and help one another to keep our Temple sacred. Jesus wishes to cleanse the temple of our soul by removing what has corrupted it in order to purify it for worship and make it a dwelling place for prayer. But are we willing to let him cleanse us?

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are your temple, yet we have let the selfish desires for the things of this passing world corrupt us so deeply. As we embrace your Words today, may we experience the joy of the purification of our body and soul. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Thursday Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 21st November, 2024. The Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 

Readings: Rev. 5:1-10 , Ps.149, Luke:19:41-44

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHY HAVE WE FAILED TO SACRIFICE FOR PEACE

Peace is what every human person desires to have. It is a necessary commodity in human societies. A city that has peace is surely to have great success. It is the dream of everyone. But a city that lacks peace is disastrous. Little wonder today in our gospel passage, Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. Jesus, who is the King of peace, came to Jerusalem, a city whose name stands for peace but found no peace in it.

He looked at the city and its coming disaster, which would indeed happen in a few decades in the hands of the Romans. So, he wept and prayed for its people. Since they have rejected the peace that God is offering them, they have no option but to face the consequences. Jesus felt deep sorrow at the city’s resistance to God’s word, wishing that it might receive the peace God was offering.

Today we too can look around us, also our cities, societies, country and the world at large, and feel sorrow at so much greed, corruption, suffering and disregard for truth and for what is right and discover that peace is nowhere to be found. But we should not be afraid, for St. John, in our first reading today, tells us to be courageous, for the Lamb of God has triumphed over all evil. He has been glorified and, as such, has purchased for us our eternal peace and salvation.

Thereby reminding us that despite the challenges and trials that we have to face in this passing world, we have the Lamb of God, triumphant and victorious by our side. He told us that even though tribulations will come our way in the form of doom and destruction like that of Jerusalem, we should be steadfast, for in God, we shall be triumphant.

This is what we see in the memorial of the presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary we celebrate today, that great moment when St. Joachim and St. Anne offered their firstborn child to the Lord at the Temple as prescribed by the Law, a gratuitous action to God who chooses Mary to be the mother of our Lord the King of Peace. Thereby calling us to embrace his teaching. Let us all be inspired by the examples of Mary, who the Lord has set before us, that we shall also be righteous, virtuous and strive after peace as she has shown us in her lifetime in thanksgiving to God.

Dear friends, why have we failed to sacrifice for peace? Humanity cries every time for peace but very few are sacrificing for peace. Are you one of those few? So, if we can consider the words of Jesus and embrace the peace and love he is offering us, we will realize that he longs for our good and growth. There are many temptations and distractions in this world trying to mislead us and separate us from our God. Let us not be misled by these things.

Let us remain firm in our faith and let our lives shine with the light of Christ so that his light will illuminate all the darkest moments in our lives, in our societies, country and the world at large. For the Lord wishes to lead us to the final victory that he has won for us. But are we willing to commit our lives to Christ? All we need to do is embrace all the possibilities of peace and love that God is offering to us every day. Then it shall be well with us.

LET US PRAY, Heavenly Father, you are the King of peace, and in Christ, your son, you have offered humanity peace. But we have failed to embrace it. As we struggle with the ugly situation in our world today, may the peace of Christ through the intercessions of the Virgin Mary reign in our hearts, homes, societies, country and the world at large. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Remain blessed.

Homily For Wednesday Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 20th November, 2024

 

Readings: Rev. 4:1-11 , Ps.150, Luke:19:11-28

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHAT IS YOUR GOD’S GIVEN GIFTS AND HOW ARE YOU UTILIZING THEM?

In this life, God has given special and unique gifts to every one of us and opportunities to exercise them. If we use these gifts and the opportunities wisely for our benefit and the benefit of others, we will grow and blossom. But on the other hand, if we fail to use them, we will remain dormant and unsuccessful.

This is what the parable in our Gospel passage today is addressing. In this parable, we heard how a king summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds to do business until he came back. Some of them utilized these gifts and opportunities and so became successful, and for that, they were entrusted with more gifts. Some decided not to neglect and abandoned their gifts, and so remained dormant and unsuccessful.

This parable teaches us that we all have been given gifts by God which we must give account of. Given that our gifts are meant to be put to use in the service of God and humanity. And our service to God should not be done grudgingly or fearfully but generously with the willingness to take risks in responding to God’s mandate. We must be ready to lose our life in order to find it. God wants us to use the individual gifts and opportunities given to us to make a difference in the world. We are not to relax into a comfort zone doing nothing with them. God wants the best from us and when we have given our best, we receive more from him.

Dear friends, we all are special, unique and a masterpiece and God has given us a very unique gift. These gifts may represent different physical and spiritual gifts of God, but their basic foundation is the gift of our life and the love of God towards us. This love is what God has given to us which needs to be reciprocated through an active love for our neighbours. For we heard the elder and living creatures in our first reading today saying: you are our Lord and our God; you are worthy of glory and honour and power because you made all the universe, and it was only by your will that everything was made and existed.

But why do we often find it difficult to discover our other gifts or to accept the one God has given to us? This is because we have failed to embrace love. So, we are called today to search and discover our gifts. Love is the greatest gift God has given to humanity; let us discover love and invest in it, for in it comes other gifts that will help us to achieve the purpose by which we are created.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, you have endowed us with special and unique gifts and opportunities to use them. Help us to discover these gifts and utilize them for the purpose for which they were given to us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Tuesday Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 19th November, 2024

Readings: Rev. 3: 1-6.14-22; Ps.15; Luke:19:1-10

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

AN ENCOUNTER THAT BRINGS MERCY, REPENTANCE, RESTITUTION AND NEW LIFE

Today, we heard in our Gospel passage the story of Zacchaeus who desires to see Jesus. Truly, I must confess that the attitude of Jesus upon seeing Zacchaeus on the tree was very touching. For Jesus did not condemn or criticize him nor demand anything from Zacchaeus. He only responded to the inner desire of a sinful man who seeks to see him, and he said to him: “Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry because I am to stay at your home today”. Zacchaeus quickly came down and, with great joy, received Jesus.

 No doubt, people complained and criticized Jesus, saying, “He has gone to stay In the house of a sinner”. But Jesus does not care about their criticism. He went to the house of Zacchaeus and defended him from people’s criticism. And rather than calling him a sinner, he called him “son of Abraham”. Here, we see how Jesus accepts those who were rejected by society. He offers a place to those who do not have one.

Jesus receives as brothers and sisters people whom the society and religion rejected. For sometimes in our lives, when we struggle with our inner desires and weaknesses, all we need is to sacrifice our pride and humbly climb the sycamore tree of grace, for on it we find the satisfaction and peace that we desire just like Zacchaeus.

But what can we learn from this story, we can learn that no one is beyond God’s redemption. We can learn that whenever sin has made us short of courage to reach God, we must do whatever it takes to get to Jesus no matter the obstacles. We must learn to welcome Jesus into our hearts and our homes. We must be prepared to confront and overcome the obstacles and challenges along the path towards our salvation. We must do whatever it takes to change our ugly ways of life to be better and positive.

Also, we must be willing to accept and accommodate other people when they repent from their ugly attitudes. We must know that sin makes us short of courage to reach out to God, so we must learn to climb the sycamore tree of grace just like Zacchaeus. We must not be comfortable with the ugly and sinful situation we find in and around us. We must learn to make restitution for all the things we have done wrong.

Dear friends, in the life of Zacchaeus, we see an encounter that brings mercy, repentance, restitution and a new life. But how many of us will be ready to say just like Zacchaeus: Lord, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody, I will pay him back four times the amount? We must know that it is necessary and mandatory for us to make restitutions for all the bad things we have done.

So, having listened to the story of Zacchaeus, how many of us will make restitutions of all the things we have acquired through sinful and corrupt means? How many of us will make restitutions for all the wealth we acquired through corruption and greediness? How many of us will step down or resign from our present position, which we acquired through corruption and bribery?

Therefore, we must learn from Zacchaeus, how to make honest restitutions. For we heard the Lord in our first readings today saying: If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share his meal, side by side with him. Remember, Zacchaeus made restitution of all he had acquired illegally, and he was given a new label, a new status, new friends, a new family and a new life. We, too, should not be afraid to do the same, and so make a new name, new family, and a new life for ourselves. For this may bring about the peace, hope, joy, love and new life that we desire to have today.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are sinners in need of your mercy. As we climb the sycamore tree of grace with contrite hearts, may you find in us the inner desire for mercies and in your compassion purify us and welcome us back to your kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Monday Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 18th November 2024

 

Readings: Rev. 1: 1-4.2:1-5, Ps.1:1-4.6, Luke:18:35-43

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU TRULY NEED TO ADDRESS YOUR DIFFICULT SITUATION

Oftentimes, when we are going through difficult times we don’t know exactly what we need or what to do. We often feel helpless and confused about the situation around us. So, it takes great faith and focus to know what we need at that point. Little wonder in today’s Gospel passage, the blind beggar helps us to know what to do by giving us a complete lesson about faith, expressed with total simplicity in front of Christ Jesus. He had faith enough to call out to Jesus as he passed by, even when he was scolded by the people close to him. His need for Jesus was so great that he cried all the louder: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!

Then Jesus asks an unusual question: “What do you want me to do for you?” So even though his need was obvious, Jesus wanted him to ask. In the same way today, Jesus is asking us: my child what do you want me to do for you? Why not like this blind beggar and tell Jesus you need them? Even though he knows your needs, you still need to present them before him. This blind man needed his eyesight restored, so he said to Jesus aloud, “Lord, that I may see!” And Jesus said receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.’

Here Jesus reveals his compassion towards human sufferings and wants us to Imitate him. But the problem is that we don’t know what we truly need to solve our difficult situation and we have failed to express our needs properly to God. Oftentimes, this is a result of our lack of faith in God, for we have separated ourselves from God just as we heard the revelation in our first reading saying: “I know all about you: how hard you work and how much you put up with. But I have this complaint to make; you have not loved me as you used to in the beginning. Think where you were before you fell; repent, and do as you used to at first, or else if you do not repent, I shall come to you and take your lampstand from its place.”

Dear friends, do you still love God as you did at the beginning of your encounter with him? What is your disposition towards God and the things of God? How deep is your faith in God? What is the one thing you need in your life? Do you have enough faith to express your desire to the Lord? Have we ever felt helpless? Do we feel the need for Jesus’s help in some part of our lives? Why not, in faith, present it before him who is willing to help us? Also, do we know people who are helpless and need some help? How strong is our compassion towards them? Let us look at them for a moment and imagine Jesus looking at them. How does he see them?

Therefore, like Jesus, each one of us is called to reach out to people around us who are really in need of our assistance. This includes our family members, our neighbours, our colleagues and others who we encounter in life. The truth is that you may be the only person who can bring the healing and compassion of Jesus into their lives.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we present our needs before you today, may we experience once again your compassionate love and grant our heart's desire according to your Holy will; we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It’s another week, wishing you God’s favour and blessings.