Homily For Thursday Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 28th November, 2024

Readings: Rev.18:1-2,21-23,19:1-3,9; Ps.100; Luke:21:20-28

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

HOW PREPARED ARE YOU FOR OUR REDEMPTION IS DRAWING NEAR?

As we continue to reflect on the great event about the coming of the Lord. Jesus, in our Gospel passage today, continues his warnings concerning what will happen to the beautiful things of this passing world, which he illustrated very well by telling us what will eventually happen to the great city of Jerusalem in relation to what will happen at the end of all things. This passage contains the truth that we need to be reminded of often. That is, the need for us to be prepared for the day of the Lord despite all the beautiful and seductive things we encounter in this world.

Thus, as the great and holy city of Jerusalem was besieged and destroyed by the Romans less than four decades after the death and resurrection of Christ, so will the things of this world pass away, including those who are attached to them. Just as we also heard in our first reading today, the account of the declaration of the Angel of God at the end of the last trumpets how the world ends with the plagues, the final defeat of the devil and all the forces of the wicked, which is well illustrated with the fall of ‘Babylon’ that shall never rise again, for it has come to it’s final and ultimate defeat. While God has triumphed and won the ultimate victory for his faithful people.

Dear friends, there is no doubt that there are great signs of the end time event, but this should not be an occasion for fear but rather a period for intense preparations. Nonetheless, for the righteous, it is a period of joy and happiness since our redemption from the powers of evil is close at hand. Although we do not know when, but, Jesus assures us that he will return in power and great glory. Therefore, we should take heed and not be deceived by the beauty of the things of this passing world, for our redemption is drawing near.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we make efforts every day to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ, your Son, give us the grace and courage to remain steadfast even in the midst of all the crises in our world today. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Wednesday Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 27th November, 2024

Readings: Rev.15:1-4, Ps.98, Luke:21:12-19

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE REASON FOR THE CONSTANT PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS

The word persecution is often associated with the Christian faith, for most times when we hear about persecution, the victims are often Christian faithful. But why do Christians often face persecution? This is because in our world today, we see and hear of human wickedness, intimidation, manipulations, kidnapping, killing and other immoral activities people do for the sake of power, fame, money and lustful desires.

 And anyone who tries to resist, challenge, correct, change or stop these ugly attitudes, becomes an object of elimination. Yet, in the midst of all these ugly situations, Christians are required to continue to speak about God’s goodness, love, compassion and forgiveness, which humanity is not ready to embrace.  This, of course, is the reason for the constant persecution of Christians.

So, we should not be surprised when Jesus, in our Gospel passage today, declares that his followers are going to be persecuted on account of bearing witness to his name, a reality that will put even their most cherished relationships to the test: they will be betrayed even by their closest relations and friends. However, we should not prepare any defence because God myself shall give us eloquence and wisdom that none of our opponents will be able to resist or contradict.

Little wonder Jesus gave us the details of the challenges that await us as his followers, such as arrests, persecution, trials before government authorities, betrayal by family and friends, hatred on account of his name, and even execution. He made us know that we should not lay blame on a particular person or group of people, or the society, or even on our enemies for such ugly treatment. For they are rather an opportunity to testify and bear witness of him to the world. 

Here, Jesus not only describes what his followers will have to endure but offers assurance that he will support them and make them strong. So he recommends that there comes a time in the spiritual life of his followers when they will have to choose to endure rather than despair. For by their endurance, they will gain their lives. Hence, a period of persecution is a time to witness through our endurance, courage and tenacity. 

Dear friends, the circumstances in which Jesus invites us to share the Good News is quite challenging and difficult, especially now that the world is passing through difficult times, for families, societies, countries, and churches are badly affected by the current economic situation that is affecting the whole world. But just as Jesus was not abandoned by his Father in his hour of need, we, too, will not be abandoned in this time of difficulty. 

For God knows what we are passing through now and in due time he will give us victory and we will join the elders in our first reading today to say: how great and wonderful are all your works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are all your ways, King of all ages, for Jesus says that our endurance will win us our lives.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we struggle with the ugly situation in our world today, grant us the courage and strength to persevere in witnessing the Gospel, especially in this time of persecution and difficulties. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Tuesday Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 26th November 2024

Readings: Rev.14:14-19 , Ps.95, Luke:21:5-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHEN WILL THIS HAPPEN, AND WHAT SIGNS SHOULD WE EXPECT?

As we approach the season of Advent, we are reminded of the need to be well-prepared for the coming of God’s kingdom. This is evident in our readings these days and more so in our Gospel passage today which presents to us warnings about the end times. Here we see how those who were listening to Jesus were anxious to know what signs to look out for concerning the End Times event. But the timing of such an event is God’s secret.

So, today, Jesus warns us not to waste our time seeking signs; rather, we should be prepared, and we should remain firm in faith. He also warns us about following those who claim to know when the end is coming. We may see many of the signs written in Scripture happening already in our time, and people are terrified, looking for someone to show them the way. Jesus is the only Way, the Truth and the Life. Without him in our lives, we may be lost because the future lies in his hands, and nothing can destroy or hurt us as long as we remain faithful to his commands.

Dear friends, what signs are you searching for in this passing world? You better be prepared for our lives as Christians demand that we should be alert and ready, just like St. John tells us in our first reading about the harvest time for the harvest of the earth is ripe. Thus we should be prepared at all times for this world is passing away. Hence, we are called to abstain from things that will separate us from our God. We are called to look into our inner being, our interior life, in order to embrace the life of holiness and self-control that will help us to be more prepared.

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, we often fail to listen to your warnings concerning our excess desire for the things of this passing world and the need for us to prepare and be ready for your coming. Give us the grace and wisdom to be well-prepared to stand before you whenever you call us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Monday Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 25th November, 2024

Readings: Rev.14:1-5; Ps.24; Luke:21:1-4

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LEARN TO GIVE THANKS TO GOD FROM YOU HEART

Thanksgiving is one of the best ways of showing gratitude to God for the good things we have received from him. This great act of charity should be done with a grateful heart. Our attitude and intention towards this act is what God desires to see. Little wonder, in our Gospel passage today, Jesus observes the attitude of people towards their thanksgiving offertory.

He commented on the attitude of people who give out of their abundance while commending the attitude of the poor widow who, from her heart, sincerely gave everything that she had, expressing her faith and love for God through this wonderful gesture.

Here, Jesus tells us that what matters is not the amount we give but what lies in our hearts; the strength of our generosity comes from the heart. Today, Jesus invites us to open our hearts and be ready to give in a sacrificial way like this poor widow in our Gospel. For God, who knows our heart, looks at our efforts.

The truth is that the greatest gift we can give to anyone is the gift of love, for it is only in true love that one can truly give all that he has without reservations. So, as Christians, it is our obligation to follow the Lord’s teaching and dedicate ourselves and all that we have to him wholeheartedly, in faith and love at all times.

Dear friends, let our thanksgiving to the Lord not only come from the abundance of what we have but from true and sacrificial love that comes from our heart, expressing our gratitude, faith and love for God and our neighbour. Only such offertory and thanksgiving are pleasing to God and acceptable to him.

Let us join the great saints and elders in our first reading today who followed the Lamb wherever he goes, for they have been redeemed from amongst men to be the first fruits of God and for the Lamb, since they never allowed a lie to pass their lips and no fault can be found in them.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, all we have is giving to us out of your abundant good. Through the intercessions of Mary, may we learn to show gratitude sacrificially for such a great gift and so gain more favour from you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Have a fruitful week ahead.

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.