Homily For Fourth Sunday of Advent Year C, 22nd December, 2024

 

Readings: Micah 5:2-5; Ps. 80; Heb. 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

SHARING THE JOY OF GOD’S MESSAGE THROUGH VISITATION

As we await the commemoration of the nativity of our Lord Jesus, an event that reminds us and reveals to us the great plan of God towards redeeming humanity. This Sunday we are required to say yes to this plan of God and share the joy of this encounter with people through Visitation. This is evident in our readings today; in our first reading, we heard prophet Micah saying: out of you will be born for me the one who is to rule over Israel; for the Lord is therefore going to abandon them till the time when she who is to give birth gives birth.

These prophetic words came to fulfilment in the life of Mary as we have it in our Gospel passage today which reminds us of the moment when Mary, after the event of Annunciation, received the message from Angel Gabriel about the plan of God for her and her cousin Elizabeth, she came to visit Elizabeth, for both are now miraculously pregnant with child. For at that time, Mary was just having the Child Jesus in her not long after he was conceived in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit, while Elizabeth, who had become pregnant earlier, was having John the Baptist in her womb, even in her old age as a barren woman.

At this visitation, Mary sang the Magnificat in honour to God for the great thing he has done not just for her but for all humanity. For having heard that her cousin Elizabeth, who at that time had been long barren, had now conceived a child, she came and found out that what the Lord had revealed to her through the Angel Gabriel was indeed true, that her cousin Elizabeth had miraculously conceived in her old age. And herself, about to have a Child without any human relations but by the power of the Holy Spirit. These made Mary rejoice greatly, for it was truly a great and joyful moment which God had shown to all his people.

Hence, this grace-filled event reveals the special role that Mary played in God’s plan for human salvation. So, as she brought the Word of life dwelling in her womb to Elizabeth, Mary became the image of the Church’s missionary activity, for she is filled with the Holy Spirit, ready to visit and bring Christ to all humanity. This also presents to us the joyful moment when Mary, bearing the Word Made Flesh, visited barren and lonely humanity well represented by the person of Elizabeth. Thus, in this act of kindness, we recall the faith and the wonderful commitment shown by Mary as an example and inspiration to all of us. For she obeyed the plan of the Lord and entrusted herself completely to the divine will of God.

Dear friends, saying yes to God’s plan for us is so important. And I must tell us that God has a special plan for everyone, a unique plan. But sometimes it seems as if God has favoured some persons more than others. Well, in the eyes of men, it seems true, but God has favoured each person in a very unique way only that we sometimes do not understand what God is doing in our lives. Our understanding of favour is quite different from that of God. However, all we need is to say: God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will just as we heard in our second reading today, an affirmation of Mary’s response to God’s plans for her.

 So, as Christians, in Mary, we found a great role model for each and every one of us. For, following the example of Mary we also embark on our journey of faith, learning from her obedience and dedication to the mission that has been entrusted to her throughout her life just as we are entrusted with the task of spreading the Gospel passage to all humanity.

But the truth remains that we are so busy with the things of this passing world and have failed to carry out our mission. Today, the streets are full of people struggling and bobbling; the markets are full of people buying, selling, cheating and chatting, and the Churches are full of people praying, singing and celebrating. We are so busy with everything except the very essence of our mission, which is, the salvation of our souls. Today, we are called to reflect deeply and to dispose ourselves to embrace the Word of God with joy just like Mary and Elizabeth.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, only the soul for whom you have done great things can truly proclaim with fitting praise the joy of your presence. As we embrace your words today through the visitation of our Mother Mary, we joyfully surrender unto you, our whole life, our senses, our barrenness and loneliness, for our spirit rejoices at the coming of Christ Jesus our Saviour, and may this joy always remain in our hearts through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful Sunday celebration.

Homily For Saturday Third Week of Advent Year C, 21st December, 2024

Readings : Song of Songs 2:8-14 , Ps. 33, Luke: 1:39-45

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LEARN TO SHARE YOUR JOY WITH OTHERS

Every good news we hear has a way of activating the joy in our hearts, and when this happens, we necessarily want to share this joy with others. This is the case with the women in our Gospel passage today, who received favour from the Lord and decided to share their joy as they play their part in the saving plan of God.

For Mary, having heard that her cousin Elizabeth, who at that time had been long barren, had now conceived a child, she came and found out that what the Lord had revealed to her through the Angel Gabriel was indeed true, that her cousin Elizabeth had miraculously conceived in her old age. And herself, about to have a Child without any human relations but by the power of the Holy Spirit. These made Mary rejoice greatly, for it was truly a great and joyful moment which God had shown to all his people.

Thus, the psalmist today tells us to ring out our joy to the Lord, O you just; O sing him a song that is new for our Lord is coming to save us. Our beloved comes leaping upon the mountains as we heard in our first reading. Therefore, as we wake up this morning may the joy of the coming Lord fill our hearts with passion, love and ready to accomplish great things for the Lord and humanity.

May the Lord give us the grace and skills to face the tasks of the day and help us to share our joy and favours with others just like Mary who shared her joy with Elizabeth. Also, through the joy we share, may others leap for joy just like the child in Elizabeth's womb.

Dear friends, it’s a few days to Christmas, and as we struggle with our daily tasks, may God grant us the wisdom, inspiration and skills that will enable us to accomplish great things today and always. Let us be hopeful, joyful and patient. Fear not, be focused, be ready, be determined and do not delay in preparing, for the Lord is at hand.

LET US PRAY, Almighty God, as we anticipate the coming of your Son, may we be well disposed and prepared to embrace him with joy, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. Have a fruitful and peaceful day.

Homily For Friday Third Week of Advent Year C, 20th December, 2024

 

Readings: Is. 7:10-14; Ps. 24; Luke 1:26-38

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

LET IT BE DONE TO ME ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD

As the great event of Christmas draws very near, the liturgy in a special way today, reminds us about the mysterious event of the Annunciation of the Lord, an event that marks nine months before the birth of Jesus at Christmas, recalling the very moment when our Lord and Saviour was conceived in the womb of Mary.

Here, Mary responded to the revelation of God’s Good News through the Archangel Gabriel, saying: I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your Word. With this response, the Word became flesh and dwells among us through a humble Virgin, thereby revealing the arrival of the long-awaited Saviour into the world as we have it in our Gospel passage today.

In our first reading, we heard how King Ahaz also received revelation from God through the prophet Isaiah, of the coming of God’s salvation to his people. But Ahaz refused to accept the sign, out of false humility, saying that he would not put God to the test even when the prophet had specifically said that God would give him a sign. This shows a lack of faith and disobedience from King Ahaz, which is quite opposite to that of Mary, who humbly accepted God’s will.

When compared the response of Mary to that of Ahaz, who further led the people of Judah into sin, as he did not follow or obey God’s laws. We will see that his lack of faith is indeed opposite to Mary’s total submission to God, his pride and false humility are opposite of Mary’s total humility and devotion to God. Hence, Mary has become a role model for all of us, as her obedience and willingness to accept her role as the Mother of God and Saviour is something that all of us, as Christians, should also emulate in our own lives.

Dear friends, this year has been filled with a lot of uncertainty, sorrow and grief, challenges and trials, obstacles, difficulties and suffering all over the world. But we are consoled in today’s Gospel passage that talks about the Annunciation of our Lord and Saviour with the words of the angel, telling us not to be afraid, for we have won God’s favour.

This is to make us know that the Lord has special plans for us if only we can accept the will of God and be humble and submissive to God’s will just like Mary, so we too can say in faith: “Let it be done to me according to your will”.

Thus, we are called to draw strength, faith and courage from Mary in her total submission to God’s will, knowing that despite all the darkness, sorrow and uncertainties in our country today. God will not abandon his people. His promise of salvation is a reality that we will surely experience.

Therefore, let us entrust ourselves in humility to God just as Mary had done. Let us ask for his mercy and forgiveness as we also forgive one another. It is not time to judge people or lose faith. Rather, it is time to pray for each other as we grow stronger in faith and our love and devotion to God. Knowing that he is closer to us in these challenging moments for he does not fail in his promises.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as the event of Advent comes to its peak, the occasion of the annunciation reminds us of your promises and plans to redeem humanity, as we listen to your words today, may we respond positively to your requests and so be filled with the joy of your presence, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless.

Homily For Thursday Third Week of Advent Year C, 19th December, 2024

Readings Judges 13:2-7,24-25; Ps. 71; Luke: 1:5-25

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

GOD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN YOUR HOUSEHOLD FOR HE HAS A PLAN FOR EVERYONE

Oftentimes, things happen in our lives and our family that we can not explain how and why they happened. This is to tell us that we are unique and special, because, in our uniqueness, we come to realize that God has a special plan for every household. This is evident in our readings today where we are presented with the message about the visits of the angel announcing the birth of great men giving birth by barren women in the Old and New Testament scriptures.

In our Gospel passage, we have Elizabeth mother of John the Baptist and the unnamed mother of Samson in the first reading. They remind us that God is in control of human history and our families. For he intervenes graciously in favour of the helpless and despised. He knows how to guide us towards his plans for us.

Thus, Angel Gabriel was sent to bring good news to Zechariah and his household. Though he did not believe the words of the Angel. The first message of the angel to Zechariah was: “Do not be afraid, your prayer has been answered!”

Up until now, most people do not know the plan of God for them and this causes fear in their lives. So, the message of the angel continues to be valid, “do not be afraid”, for God has a plan for everyone and through prayers, God reveals his plan for us.

Dear friends, God has not forgotten your household for he has a special plan for you. The greatest plan of God is the salvation of our souls, to reconcile the heart of humanity toward their Creator, to reconstruct the fabric of human relationships and to build up a community of love and holiness in our household.

This was the mission of Samson, John and also the mission of Jesus and continues to be the most important mission and plan of God today. But, how are we contributing towards this mission? Remember, it is on this mission that we discover the purpose and plan of God for each one of us.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, every day we struggle to identify ourselves with your plans for us; grant that we may faithfully follow your plans and find joy in doing them no matter how difficult they may be; we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed and fruitful day.

Homily For Wednesday Third Week of Advent Year C, 18th December, 2024

 

Readings Jer. 23:5-8; Ps. 72; Matt.1:18-24

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DOING THE WILL OF GOD LIKE ST. JOSEPH

As we continue the preparation for the birthday of our Lord Jesus, today’s liturgy presents to us the events preceding the birth of Jesus and invites us to contemplate the roles St Joseph played in the life of Jesus and Mary which our Gospel passage today presents to us how Jesus Christ came to be born. A challenging moment in the lives of Mary and Joseph.

Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph, was found to be with a child, but Joseph, being a man of honour and wanting to spare Mary’s publicity, decided to surely, with great sorrow, send Mary away quietly. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit, she will bear a Son, and you shall call him Jesus, for he will save his people from sins. We can imagine the great trauma Joseph was passing through when we think about the love he has for Mary. But even in these circumstances, he intends to do the will of God.

Hence, we can see how this Gospel passage reveals to us the magnanimity of Joseph’s heart and soul. He wished to follow his plan, but God was reserving another plan for him, a greater mission. Joseph was a man who always listened to the voice of God; he was deeply sensitive to his secret will; he was a man attentive to the messages that came to him from the depths of his heart.

Joseph did not persist in following his plan; he did not allow bitterness to poison his soul; rather, silently, he was ready to make himself available to the event of the new mission entrusted to him. This reveals to us how deep and great St. Joseph’s holiness of life was.

Dear friends, the challenge to every baptized Christian is to live a holy life and God cannot abandon us in this struggle. For he promised us in the first reading to stand up for us a righteous branch who shall reign as King and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in our land. He shall save the needy when they cry, the poor, and those who are helpless. Look at how the Lord helped Joseph in the challenging moment of his life, giving him the grace to cooperate with his will even when it seemed difficult; he said to him, “Do not fear”.

So like Joseph, we should not fear to face those challenging moments of disappointment, pain, sorrow, guilt, betrayals, and complex and complicated situations in our lives, for by combating them comes our victory and through the power of the Holy Spirit our souls are purified and the will of God is made manifest in our lives.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, give us the grace to imitate the silence and holiness of St Joseph, especially in a world full of noise, iniquities and distractions. A world that encourages neither recollection nor listening to you nor one another. Grant us the grace to cultivate the inner attitude of silence and recollection in order to fully embrace the spirit of this season so as to joyfully experience the glory of Christmas. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a grace-filled day.

Homily For Tuesday Third Week of Advent Year C, 17th December, 2024

 

Readings Gen.49:2.8-10, Ps. 72, Matt.1:1-17

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LET YOUR LIFE INFLUENCE YOUR GENEALOGY POSITIVELY LIKE THAT OF CHRIST

Today, we begin the second part of the Advent season; as we know, the Advent season is divided into two parts. The first, which runs from the first Sunday until the 16th of December, dwells on the second coming of Christ, the eschatological aspect of Advent. The second aspect, which focuses on the first coming of Christ at Bethlehem, runs from today, 17th -24th December. Hence, the best way to begin this second aspect of advent is by reflecting on the genealogy of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, as we have it in our Gospel passage today.

From this genealogy of Jesus, we can observe that generations come, generations go, great men and women come and pass on, and new generations continue to spring up as God continue to unveil his plan for humanity. Just as he revealed to Jacob in our first reading today when he gathered all of his sons and their own families, and said his parting words as he was about to die. He blessed all of his children, some more than others, and from among all of the children, Judah stood out to be the one who received a more favourable blessing.

This shows how the Lord revealed through Jacob what he was going to do for the people of Israel and humanity. Judah's kingship over all of Israel was given to David, who became the rightful king and God’s chosen one, and God promised that David’s house would rule over Israel forever, which is evident in the genealogy of Jesus.

Dear friends, this is Christ's generation, but the question that comes to mind is: our genealogy to what extent can it be traced to that of Christ? Can my way of life be linked to that of Christ and his genealogy? The things we are doing now, to what extent have they been influenced by the events of the past generations, to what extent are they influencing this present generation and to what extent are they going to influence the future generations?

Therefore, let us use this great opportunity of Advent season to open our hearts, our minds and our whole beings to the Lord. Let us return to the Lord and focus our attention on him as we renew our faith in him and play our role in his plan of redeeming humanity.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we open our hearts to embrace your coming, may you continue to watch over us and guide us in our journey of faith and as we struggle with the ugly situation in our world today, may the Holy Spirit, teach us what to do today, how to do them, when to do them and give us the grace to do them properly. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. May God bless and guide your ways today and always. 

Homily For Monday of the Third Week of Advent Year C, 16th December, 2024

Readings Num. 24:2-7,15-17, Ps. 25, Matt. 21:23-27

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

RECOGNISING THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS IN OUR LIFE

In our dealings with people, we are often requested to refer to authorities in order to back up our claim to know or possess anything. And when such authority is not available, we may not be taking it seriously. Little wonder our gospel passage today, presents to us the fundamental question concerning the source of Jesus’ authority, namely whether it is divine or human. Here the chief priests and elders were more concerned to learn whether Jesus had received the proper human authorization by questioning the source of his authority.

In response, Jesus draws their attention to John the Baptist and his authority, and by so doing, he implies that the source of John's authority is the source of his as well. Thus, anyone who correctly identifies the source of John's authority will identify the source of Jesus’ own as well. Therefore the questions we need to ask ourselves are: What is our notion about the authority of Jesus? Do we have any doubt about the authority of Jesus? How much of this authority dwells in you? The crowds identified the source of John and Jesus’ authority as divine, have we identified the divine authority of Jesus in our lives? Why not ask him to manifest his power and authority once more in your life?

Little wonder we heard how Balaam, in our first reading, acknowledged the authority of God,d, saying: the oracle of Bala, am, son of Beor, oracle of the man with far-seeing eyes, the oracle of one who hears the word of God. He sees what Shaddai makes him see, receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened. How fair are your tents, O Jacob! How fair your dwellings, Israel! A hero arises from their stock; he reigns over countless people. His king is greater than Agag, his majesty is exalted.’

Dear friends, as we go on with our recollection of this advent season, we need to open up our hearts to truly embrace the authority of the Lord Jesus. We need to build up our interior lives around his authority. We need to be closer to God and continue to prepare ourselves physically and spiritually as we anticipate the coming of our Lord Jesus in our hearts and souls. For there, he awaits our response to his invitation to holiness and love.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, in your divine authority we build our confidence and hope. May you continue to direct and guide our ways and bring our plans and purposes to a successful end, through Christ our Lord. Amen. It’s another week, wishing you the best of God’s favour and blessings.