Homily For Monday of The Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 27th January, 2025

 

Readings: Heb. 9:15.24-28; Ps.98; Mark 3:22-30
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DO NOT SIN AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT

One of the gifts of God to us is the gift of discernment, which enables us to know and distinguish between good and evil spirits. This gift is very important to the office of every leader. But it is sad and unacceptable when a leader decides to misuse this gift out of envy,  jealousy and ignorance. This is the attitude of the scribes in our Gospel passage today.

For we heard how Jesus had delivered a man possessed by an evil spirit. The spirit had bound his tongue and made him mute. But when Jesus had cast out the demon from the man and the man spoke, some scribes who watched this great miracle as it happened said that it was through the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that he was able to cast the devil out. 
This is because they were adamant in their opposition against Jesus, which was propelled by envy and jealousy. 

That is why they were unable to look beyond their narrow-mindedness and stubbornness in insisting that their way was the true way while others, like our Lord Jesus, were wrong. But Jesus, as usual,, used the opportunity to correct them by pointing out the mistakes in their argument.

 Thus, telling us that it does not make sense for the demons to be fighting one another and so be divided among themselves. Because any house that divides within itself can not stand, and as we know the evil ones are always united in their plans to bring about destruction in human activities. 

So, it is obvious that the scribes knew the truth but were not ready to accept it rather they chose to deny the work of God, that is why Jesus concluded the Gospel by saying that: everyone who says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. From this frightening passage, Jesus reveals to us that sins, no matter how grievous, can be forgiven, but there is a particular sin that will not be forgiven. That is the sin against the Holy Spirit. 
But what is this sin against the Holy Spirit? And why would it not be forgiven? The sin against the Holy Spirit is rooted in one's outright rejection of God’s grace of salvation offered to us through the Holy Spirit‘s incessant invitations and warnings. 

This happens when the will of a person is hardened against God’s mercy and goodness. This is so because it is the sinner himself who rejected God’s forgiveness. And since God respects the freedom which He has given us, for he respects a sinner’s decision to firmly refuse to be forgiven.

Dear friends, do not let pride, envy,  jealousy or ignorance lead you into sin against the Holy Spirit. For we are called today not to be like the scribes who, out of pride and ignorance, denied the power of God over spiritual realities and so sin against the Holy Spirit. Rather we should make proper use of the gift of discernment which the Lord has given us. We must not let envy, jealousy and ambition make us deny the truth about the spiritual realities we experience from the Lord. We must not let the devil succeed in sowing the spirit of division among us. 

We should also ask God to endow us with the spirit of discernment and truth, especially during this period when we are often faced with the ugly and sad attitude of human deception all over the world. Therefore,  let us pay attention to the teaching and correction of Jesus, for we heard in our first reading that Christ brings a new covenant, as the mediator, only so that the people who were called to an eternal inheritance may actually receive what was promised: for his death took place to cancel the sins that infringed the earlier covenant.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we struggle every day with the manipulation of the evil ones, give us the grace to overcome them. May we never be misled by the devil and all of his forces, as they often attempt to sow divisions and dissensions among us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful week.

Homily For Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 26th January, 2025. The Sunday of the Enthronement of the Word of God

Readings: Neh. 8:2-4.5-6.8-10; Ps. 19; 1Cor.12:12-30; Luke 1:1-4;4:14-21
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORD OF THE LORD?

On 30th September 2019, our Holy Father Pope Francis, in his Apostolic Letter Aperuit Illis, declared and instituted “A Sunday for the Word of God”, which is to be celebrated every third Sunday in Ordinary Time of the Church’s Liturgical Year. The purpose of this declaration is to remind all Christ faithful that the Word of God, as contained in the Scriptures, is very vital and integral in the development of our faith in God. The Word of God, in this case, does not just refer to the Scriptures as we know it, but it also refers to Christ himself as our Lord and Saviour, the Divine Word made Incarnate. 

So today being the third Sunday in Ordinary Time year C,  we are called to celebrate the Word of God. This is very important and significant in our liturgical celebration and our readings today, as they emphasise the importance and significance of the Word of God in the lives of his people. In the first reading, we heard how the rebellious attitude of the people towards the Word of God brought about the capture and exile of the people of Israel. But having gained their freedom, they decided to hear and meditate on the word and laws of God, when the word was read and interpreted, they wept for their ignorance and negligence of God’s Word. 

But Ezra said to all the people, ‘This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not be mournful, do not weep.’ For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the Law.
This gracious event ushers us into our Gospel passage today, where we heard how  Jesus  The Word made Flesh came to his hometown and entered the synagogue, they handed over to him the Word of God as proclaimed by prophet Isaiah, and unrolling the scroll, he read a portion of the scripture that declared what he referred to as his mission and goals in regards to the fulfilment of all the wonderful promises of God’s salvation for humanity. 

Here, we heard the manifestation and fulfilment of the missionary mandate of our Lord Jesus. For the Word made Flesh is now dwelling among his people. Of course, the people in the synagogue must have been astonished when they heard how he spoke with such great wisdom and authority, as he revealed the truth of God’s Word to all, and how everything that the prophets had spoken would be fulfilled through him.

Thus, Jesus the Word made Flesh and dwells among us and has become the centre of our lives. Because our faith is founded upon this very Word of God made Flesh, the Divine Word Made Incarnate. The Church is founded based on the Word of God, that is the Scriptures, the Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church as the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. And this Word is what unites us together. Remember we just concluded the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Hence this week, we have to spend some time to reflect on the Word of God and see how we can foster unity within the  Church through the Word of the scriptures. 

But this will be very difficult if we are ignorant of the truth of God’s Word as contained in the Sacred Scriptures. We need to first deepen our knowledge of God and build a solid relationship with him. And this is what St. Paul is telling us in our second reading today, as he uses the analogy of the human body though with different parts made up of one body, to explain what ought to be our relationship with God and one another. Because the body of Christ ought to be truly one united and indivisible Body of all the faithful people of God.

However, this has not really been achieved because we have neglected the very centre of our faith and unity. We have failed to embrace the Word of God and make it the guiding principle of our lives. We do not have time to study the bible or create time to listen to God speaking to us and addressing some of our challenges. We are either too busy with our work and career or are distracted by all the ugly activities the world is selling to us through the internet that often capture our thoughts and imaginations. For this reason, there is no room for God and his words in our lives. So, from this Sunday till Ash Wednesday, we are reminded that it is time for us to reflect on the Word of God and reaffirm our relationship with God before it is too late.

Dear friends, the question we need to ask ourselves is: what is our response towards the Word of God we hear every day? How much of this Word dwells in us? What is my relationship with Jesus the Living Word of God made flesh and dwells among us? Has the Word of  God ever struck me in any way to the point of shading tears? Today, we must let the Word of God make a great impact in our lives. That is why the emphasis on the Word of God today is very important to all of us, the faithful people of God who have been called to follow the Lord. 

Therefore, if we are to follow Christ faithfully, we must cultivate the habit of listening to God and studying the scriptures because the Word of God is our daily sustenance and the source of our strength and faith. Hence, we are called to make the Word of God the guiding principle in our lives. For in the scriptures, we find the strength and courage to conquer the darkness of sin around us. By the Word of God, we acquire grace and courage to conquer evil and sin, promote good over evil, order over chaos, security over danger, joy over sorrow, truth over falsehood, salvation over condemnation and life over death.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we enthrone your Word in our lives, our families and in your Church today, grant we pray, that through the power of the Holy Spirit, we may come to discover the power and the efficacy of the scriptures in our lives as individuals, families and community of God’s people. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed and lovely Sunday.

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.