Homily For Saturday Second Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 25th January, 2025

Readings: Act: 22:3-16, Ps. 117, Mark 16:15-18

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE GRACE OF AN ENCOUNTER THAT LEADS TO TRUE CONVERSION

There is something deep and unique about every person, sometimes it takes personal experience to discover this uniqueness. I don't know if you have ever had an experience that made you realize the emptiness of this life, a kind of experience that turns pride into humility, sinfulness into righteousness, an experience that changes your perception about things or people.

This is what we see in the life of St. Paul who today we are celebrating the feast of his conversion as we have it in our first reading today. An event that would prompt us to reflect on our personal experience of God. I am confident enough to tell you that every day is an opportunity to encounter God through different events that occur in our lives. But it takes only one special event in our lives to experience a drastic change and conversion in our lives.

This is the kind of experience that Saul had with Jesus that made him realize the emptiness of his life and how wrong he was, fighting against God’s people. For Saul was a young and zealous Pharisee who was deeply involved in the persecutions of early Christians. He was present at the moment when St. Stephen was martyred and stoned to death.

Saul was also a leading figure among the Sanhedrin in their attempt to destroy the Church and the followers of Christ, for he went from place to place and carried out violent attacks against the followers of Christ until he encountered the Lord on his way to Damascus. Who said to him Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” I answered: Who are you, Lord? And he said to me, “I am Jesus the Nazarene, and you are persecuting me.”

This very encounter brought true conversion in his life and changed his perception about Christians. This encounter was the turning point for the spreading of the Christian faith all over the Roman Empire. This encounter gave him a new identity, changing his name from Saul to Paul. A name indicating his new mission. A mission he so carried out with all his zeal and passion that he is regarded as one of the apostles, and today, his works still speak volumes about the effect of his personal encounter with Jesus.

So, in the life of St. Paul we see a fulfilment of the command of Jesus in our Gospel passage today when he said to his disciples, ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. This is our vocation, this is our task. This is our mission as baptised Christians. It is an obligation we must carry out with all zeal and devotion just like St. Paul.

Dear friends, as we celebrate the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, we are called to reflect on our conversion. Today like St. Paul, we are called to reflect on our personal experience with God. How have we personally experienced God? When was your spiritual turning point? Do we have a personal conviction about God that is not based on what people told us of him? We need to pray to have an encounter with the Lord that will help us experience true conversion in our daily events of life.

We all have convictions and plans for ourselves just like St. Paul, but his conversion changed everything. This encounter brought him to his mission and purpose in life. The same thing to us if we can have that one single encounter with the Lord that will bring about our conversion. Then, we can begin to see the new perspective of life that will show us our true mission and purpose in life just like St. Paul.

Remember that by our baptism, we are called to share in the same ministry and calling that St. Paul himself had received from the Lord. So, in case you have not personally experienced the Lord, all you need to do is to sincerely seek God in those common events in your life and you will realize how much God is willing to reveal himself to you.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we really need to have a personal encounter with your presence in our lives. As we reflect on the encounter and conversion of St. Paul, may we experience your presence in a unique way and, through this experience, discover our purpose and mission in life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Do have a blessed and favourable week

Homily For Friday Second Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 24th January 2025. The Memorial of St. Francis Dec Sales

 

Readings: Heb.8:6-13. Ps.85, Mark 3:13-19

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

A CALL TO BEAR WITNESS OF OUR SALVATION IN CHRIST JESUS

As Jesus continued his work of evangelization and mission towards the salvation of humanity, he needed to have people who would be entrusted with this mission. Thus, in our Gospel passage today, Jesus chose twelve apostles out of his disciples. He called and separated them from the crowd so that they would be with him. And he gave them power to preach the gospel, to heal the sick, and to cast out devils. 

Here, Jesus clarifies the extreme nature of his mission, which he will entrust to his apostles so that those who would follow him must first count the cost because they will definitely share in his sufferings to share in his glory. Thus, Jesus, who had earlier given the disciples explicit instructions about his mission,  made the apostles their specific mission. 

Consequently, each one of us, like the apostles, is called by name into a deep, personal and intimate relationship with Jesus to be sent to bear witness of him in the world. Absolute commitment is a necessary quality for this mission. Because Jesus did not choose people because of what they were. Rather, he chose them for what they could become under his direction and power. 

Thus, we heard in our first reading that Christ has been given a ministry of a far higher order, and to the same degree, it is a better covenant of which he is the mediator, founded on better promises. So, he will make a new covenant with us. And will put his laws in our minds and write them in our hearts. Then he will be our God and we shall be his people.

Dear friends, how are we responding to God's call? How best are we carrying out this mission of preaching the Gospel, healing the sick and casting out the devil? How are we relating with those we judge to be sinners? What efforts are we making to convert them? Remember, as followers of Christ, we are called to journey with Jesus in love and compassion towards other people, even while suffering, rejection and persecution.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you called and chose us to be with you in order to bear witness of our salvation to humanity, help us to have the missionary zeal that will enable us to live with integrity, purity and detachment from the thing of this passing world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a favourable day.

Homily For Thursday Second Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 23rd January, 2025

 

Readings: Heb. 7:25-8:6, Ps.39, Mark 3:7-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DON’T LET THE CROWD OF THIS PASSING WORLD CRUSH YOU

There is no doubt in my mind that the work of evangelization can be so demanding and can weigh us down if we do not create time to draw strength from the Lord. This is so because a lot of people need God’s loving care, healing and direction, especially in the midst of the ugly situation in our world today.

Thus, in our Gospel passage today, St. Mark gave us a summary of the activities of Jesus and how he was able to manage the pressure from the crowd who came from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea and even from the pagan region of Tyre and Sidon as they were almost about to crush him and his disciples.

So, as Jesus healed the people and performed great works, most people wished to see him and to touch him. The people were so numerous that Jesus himself was concerned with the danger of being crushed by the multitude. Thus he asked his disciples to have a boat ready for him so that the crowd would not crush him.

And from the boat, he spoke to them and healed the sick and set free those possessed, especially the excluded and the marginalized who came to him with their ailments. For those who were not accepted in the society at that time were accepted by Jesus. This tells us that Jesus is really concerned about the struggles of humanity and wishes to set us free from the shackles of the devil.

Dear friends, we are told in our first reading that the power of Jesus to save is utterly certain since he is living forever to intercede for all who come to God through him. For Jesus wishes to set us free from sickness and the forces and manipulations of the evil ones. The power of evil, which causes great fear in people, has been overcome by Jesus, so we do not need to be afraid of Satan anymore.

Thus, we should not be afraid to stand firm against the manipulations of the devil, because Jesus will not abandon us in this battle of life. He desires to be with us as we struggle every day to overcome the forces of evil in our families, society and the world at large.

However, as we carry out our mission of evangelization, we are called to always be careful about the pressure that comes from the crowd,d, for this can crush and consume us if we do not create time to be with the Lord. So, we have to learn to sometimes withdraw from the crowd of this world.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we struggle every day to do your will in the mission entrusted to us. May we never be consumed or crushed by the pressure that comes from the crowd; rather, let the power of your presence be felt in our midst; we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Wednesday Second Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 22nd January 2025

Readings: Heb.7:1-3.15-17; Ps. 110; Mark 3:1-6

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

HUMAN WELFARE SHOULD NOT BE NEGLECTED BECAUSE OF THE ANY LAW

From the scriptures, it seems like every encounter that the Pharisees had with Jesus was always aimed at finding faults with what Jesus was doing. But to their greatest surprise, Jesus will always escape and use that opportunity to communicate an important message to the people. Such was the occasion in our Gospel passage today.

When on a Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching him to see if he would cure the man on the Sabbath, hoping to find something to use against him.

But knowing their thoughts he said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Stand up! Come out into the middle.’ Then Jesus said to them, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it? And said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was better. But they were furious and began to discuss the best way of dealing with him.

Here we see how Jesus demonstrated his compassionate care for humanity, for the most important thing for God in this world is the human person. That's why he makes all efforts to save humanity from damnation. He desires to see us making an effort to become faithful and holy.

God’s mercy is so deep that he proposed it as the guiding principle for the perfect fulfilment and interpretation of the laws of life. Thus, Jesus, in this passage, has to teach us that humanity’s welfare should not be neglected because of laws and regulations. Nothing should restrict us from doing good to people, not even the laws of the Sabbath.

Therefore, in as much as we desire to honour God’s laws we must seek the good of people as well. This is what the Pharisees have failed to understand, for they are rather fault-finders and self-righteous people who only wish to mislead the people and suppress the truth and the good works of others just because of their selfish desires to sustain their ego, pride and their worldly ambition.

We should not be like them; rather, we should be compassionate and merciful, for that is what we are called to do. We should learn to be courageous and resist any law or people who use laws or their physical position to oppress others.

We should learn from Jesus who in our first reading today was described as the second Melchizedek, who is a priest not by virtue of a law about physical descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it was about him that the prophecy was made: You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and forever.

Dear friends, today we are called to know that no law should restrict us from constantly doing good to everyone. We are called not to be fault-finders who are blindfolded by pride. We must also renounce all sorts of prideful actions and wickedness that may destroy our relationship with others and the purity of our souls.

Therefore, let us be compassionate and merciful, for that is what we are called to do in this life, especially in this moment when our societies and families are really in difficult economic situations.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we often fail to listen to your teaching because of our selfish desires and pride. Help us to always listen to you and be willing to do good, especially in the interpretation and application of laws and regulations. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Tuesday Second Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 21st January 2025. The Memorial of St. Agnes of Rome

Readings: Heb. 6:10-20, Ps. 110, Mark 2:23-28

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE LAW IS MADE OF MAN AND NOT MAN FOR THE LAW

There is no doubt that human life is guided by laws and principles, for in their absence, we cannot survive or enjoy peace and harmony in our society. But it is so sad to say that we have lost the essence and spirit that governs the making of laws, their interpretation and application. Little wonder Jesus, in our Gospel passage today, teaches us about the essence of making laws.

This is clear from the response of Jesus when the Pharisees criticized the attitude of his disciples, who, on the Sabbath, were seen plucking ears of corn to eat because they were very hungry. This is so because the Pharisees emphasized the strict keeping of the laws of the Sabbath while neglecting the spirit of the law, which has to do with God’s love and mercy.

Thus, for the Pharisees, this would be a transgression of the law of the Sabbath, which prohibits one from doing any work. Jesus responded by quoting the scriptures to indicate that their arguments have no basis.

He recalls that David himself did something which was prohibited because he took the sacred bread of the temple and gave it to the soldiers to eat because they were hungry. Jesus ends his response with two important phrases: first, the Sabbath is made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Secondly, the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath.

The truth is that the Sabbath was meant to be a day of rest when people would be free to think of God, to give thanks for God’s gifts, and to take care of their health and well-being. However, some religious authorities gradually encroached on the Sabbath with so many regulations that it is no longer serving its true purpose.

Dear friends, how are we interpreting and implementing our religious and societal laws? Laws exist for the good of the people, but oftentimes, we find ourselves seeking more recognition by exercising too much control over other people’s lives under the disguise of laws.

This should not be the case; rather, we should always consider the essence and purpose of making laws, bearing in mind that human needs, which supersede all other human interests, should be the guiding principle of any law, both social and religious.

In fact, the ritual demands of the Sabbath encourage mercy, forgiveness and compassion, which are at the heart of any true religion. Therefore, as we make laws and implement them, let these principles be our guide. For in our first reading, we were told that God would not be so unjust as to forget all we have done, the love that we have for his name or the services we have done and are still doing, for the saints. This is what we see in the life of St. Agnes, whose memorial we celebrate today.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, you often show the light of your truth to those who go astray. Grant through the intercession of St. Agnes that we may always embrace your laws, interpret them properly and apply them with mercy and compassion. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Monday Second Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 20th January, 2025. The Feast of Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi

 

Readings: Phil 2:1-11, Ps. Is.12:2-6, Matt.13:44-46

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHAT IS YOUR ULTIMATE TREASURE? 

 

Today we celebrate the feast of Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi; he was born in Aguleri, Anambra State, on September 1903 but died in Leicester, England, on 20th January 1964. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest for the Archdiocese of Onitsha. He was known for love of neighbour, healing and reconciliation of the people with God, with oneself, with one another and with the created reality.

Tansi dedicated himself not only to daily contemplative prayer but also to active ministry. He evangelized the youth, prepared couples for marriage, visited the sick, was a very good confessor, promoted vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and provided for the needs of the poor. 

Hence, in Tanis, We see man who understood that the kingdom of heaven is so precious and great that it is worth more than our entire life and our worldly possessions and treasures. This is what we have in our Gospel passage today, where Jesus used two parables to describe to the people that the kingdom of God is the greatest and ultimate treasure anyone can and should acquire. 

Here, he describes the kingdom of God as the ultimate treasure that cannot be compared to anything whatsoever we have in this world. However, the kingdom is open for all, but not all can be suitable to dwell in it; only those who, on judgement day, are found suitable can be admitted into the kingdom. Using these parables Jesus explains what the kingdom of heaven is like and what we need to do in order to acquire it. 

Thus, in the life of Tansi, we see one who discovered the great treasure of heaven, sold everything and acquired it. In Tansi we see how the light of faith sowed in him like the mustard seed grows to give hope to many people. So, the humble beginning of the Christian faith sown in him was well watered by the Holy Spirit to grow and give life and hospitality to people of the world. 

Dear friends, obtaining the ultimate treasure of heaven requires the sacrifice of all our worldly possessions. Though in the world we have different kinds of treasures. But the question is: what is your ultimate treasure? How are we searching for it? Are we really ready to sacrifice all for this treasure? 

St. Paul, in our first reading, says that though Jesus was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God as a thing to be grapes. For he rather emptied himself in humble obedience to God his Father. 

Therefore, today, we are called to empty ourselves of the passing things of this world to humbly acquire the heavenly treasure, just like Tansi, who humbly sacrificed the treasures of this passing world to embrace the treasures of heaven.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, the world is full of distractions from false treasures, through the intercession of Blessed Tansi, give us grace to discover the treasures of your kingdom and nurture the treasures of faith, holiness and hospitality implemented in us during our baptism to give up all our attachment to worldly possessions in pursue of the heavenly and ultimate treasure of your kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 19th January 2025

 

Readings: Is. 62:1-5; Ps. 96; 1Cor. 12:4-11; John 2:1-11
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU

Today is the second Sunday in Ordinary Time of the Liturgical Year C, which begins immediately after we celebrated the Baptism of the Lord last Sunday. The beauty of this season lies in the fact that it invites us to live our ordinary life as a journey of holiness, faith and friendship with Jesus. 

This will make us continually discover our vocation and mission, which is rooted in Christ’s own mission. Hence, our readings today present to us guiding principles that will help us to journey with the Lord throughout the course of our journey.

Hence, in our first reading today, we have the message of hope for God’s chosen people who were passing through the most challenging moments in the history of their journey with God. This very disposition and challenge are similar to what we are experiencing in our world today. Thus, we can hear the message of hope from the Lord to his chosen people, his bride who is now dejected like a widow abandoned by her Lord.

So, we can hear the Lord saying through the prophet Isaiah: about Zion, I will not be silent; about Jerusalem, I will not grow weary until her integrity shines out like the dawn and her salvation flames like a torch. For God will no longer forsake you for he shall delight in you, and there will be a new wedding, and as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so will your God rejoice in you, for this new wedding will bring about a new beginning.

This new beginning ushers us into the marriage feast in our Gospel passage today, an event that offers us the guiding principles of our Christian journey. Here, we heard how the wedding couple invited Jesus and his disciples on the most important day of their lives, and Mary was also there.

So, when an embarrassing moment came up during the course of the celebration, Mary, in her usual way of helping people, asked Jesus to save the couple from social embarrassment and even when her request was not granted by her son, she had strong faith that he will not refuse her request. So she said to the servants: “ Do whatever he tells you”. 

By this request, Mary, who represents the Church, reveals to us the key to a successful and happy Christian Life. That is to say that, the secret key that opens the treasure of a successful and happy Christian life is to do whatever he (Jesus) tells us. But what did Jesus say we should do? He told the servants: Fill, Draw and Serve.

Telling us to Fill our lives with the water of salvation, which he offers us every day through His words and Sacraments, and when we have filled our lives with the fountain of his presence. Then, we should Draw from the joy it offers and Serve humanity who are really in need and thirsty for the word of God, especially at this moment in our world when humanity really hopes and seeks God’s intervention. Hence, by these words, Jesus gave us the guiding principles for our Christian journey.

Dear friends, let this principle guide all our activities this year. We must learn to fill our minds with positive things so that we can draw from the abundance of our hearts and serve humanity. We must learn to fill our hearts with positive seeds of different virtues and nurture them. Those valuable seeds of goodness, honesty, faithfulness, love, holiness, obedience, charity and making them our values of life. For these are special gifts of God to us.

Little wonder we heard St. Paul speaking in our second reading about the need for us to put into use the gifts we have received from God for the greater good of all. Because there is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them.

All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who distributes different gifts to different people just as he chooses. And it is our responsibility to put them to positive use for the good of all.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we struggle every day to do your will and respond positively to the mission and vocation entrusted to us, give us the grace to be responsible in applying the guiding principles of filling, drawing and serving one another as we embark on our Christian journey. Help us we pray to find joy, courage and solace in your saving grace as you guide us through the year. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed Sunday celebration.