Homily For Wednesday Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 29th January 2025

 
Readings: Heb. 10:11-18, Ps.110, Mark 4:1-20

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHAT IS YOUR DISPOSITION TOWARDS THE WORD OF GOD?

A good disposition and positive response towards whatever we do in life have a way of building up our confidence and interior life, and this,, of course, leads us to great success. Little wonder in our Gospel passage today, Jesus uses the parable of the sower to describe different kinds of response to God's Word. He explained the parable by pointing out our different dispositions towards the Word of God in relation to our interior life.

This will help us to know whether our soul is like the dry, rocky ground or whether we regularly seek to nourish our soul and prepare it to receive the holy Word of God. So we are called to create a fertile disposition within our heart in order to do the will of God.

In the scriptures, many hear the words of Jesus and do not understand them because of poor disposition, for instance,, the religious leaders who are against his teachings, the crowds that responded positively to Jesus, especially to his miracles of healing, yet turned against him at the end and demand his crucifixion.

Some disciples, such as Judas, might also be included among those who fall away when trouble or persecution comes on account of the Word. While the rich young man who was unable to part with his possessions provides a clear example of one who hears the word, the love for the passing things of this world and the lure of wealth choked the word, and it yielded nothing.

But what about the good soil? These are those who hear the Word, understand it and internalize it. They indeed bear fruit and yield an abundant harvest. Our mother, Mary, and the disciples,s, excluding Jud, are examples of such people. Therefore, the different kinds of ground on which the seed falls represent different ways by which we receive the Word of God.

Dear friends, our hearts are the fields in which the Word of God is scattered. But, to which do our hearts belong? The pathway, the rocky ground, the thorns or the good soil? Whichever one, we are called to have the right disposition and positive response to the Word of God. We are to pay attention and take some time to appreciate God’s Word in our lives by allowing it to bear solid roots in us so that we can bear great fruits.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, oftentimes our disposition and response towards your Words is so poor. As we listen to your Words today, give us grace to remain open to receiving your Words, so as to bear fruit abundantly. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Have a favourable day.

Homily For Tuesday Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 28th January 2025 The Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas P. D

Readings: Heb. 10:1-10; Ps. 40; Mark 3:31-35

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DOING THE WILL OF GOD IS THE ONLY WAY TO BELONG TO THE TRUE FAMILY OF JESUS 

There is no doubt that having the feeling of a sense of belonging is fundamental to human happiness and well-being. This, of course,, gives value to our life and helps us in coping with some painful emotions. Hence, we often want to belong with one another, to our friends and families, to our culture or from one association to another. However, one of the common and safest places to belong is our families, especially when it is rooted in the love of God and neighbour. 

So, today in our Gospel passage, Jesus speaks about belonging to his family and his relationship with members of his family when he said: ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.’ From this Gospel, Jesus speaks of two ways the people around him could be identified as members of his family. Firstly, he talks about those who belong to the family of his birth, that is, his mother, father and relations. Then, his other family is made up of those who do the will of God.

 This family, he says, is his true family, where doing the will of God is the only way of belonging to this family. This is not to say that Jesus is rejecting his family; to do so would contradict his own teaching about loving one's parents and loving one's neighbours. However, Jesus is using this opportunity to emphasize that a relationship with God is more important, and this should depend on our total commitment to doing the will of God through him. Surprisingly, Mary the mother of Jesus belongs to both sides of the family, for she gave birth to Jesus and was also the first to do the will of God when she said, “Let it be done unto me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). For this reason she is the first disciple of Jesus and a model for all Christians.

Thus, to be a Christian or a disciple is to enter into the family of Jesus and embrace a new relationship with God and with one another for this is the most important place to belong. All other bonds, including those of blood, should be considered secondary. Because, belonging to God is fundamental to our basic relationships, before all human relations. We belong first to God before belonging to our families, after which we all go back to God, where we ultimately belong, which is determined by how we have been doing God’s will here on earth.

Little wonder we heard in our first reading today the need to do the will of God not just follow the laws that will not bring us to God. For the reading says: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, for the Lord took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.

Dear friends, where do we ultimately and truly belong? As Christians, we claim to belong to God. Do our attitudes and decisions show that we truly belong to God? Do we not often commit ourselves to things contrary to the faith we professed in God? So, let us learn from Thomas Aquinas whose memorial we celebrate. He was a famous theologian who understood what it meant to do the will of God and have deep faith in God. He is often remembered for his great work, the Summa Theologiae and many other contributions, writings and works of faith which still influenced and inspired so many people. Thereby showing us the importance of doing the will of God and demonstrating our faith in God.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, today we are called to do your will always in order to truly belong to that true family of Jesus where the love of you and of our neighbour unites us together. Grant that through the intercessions of St.  Thomas Aquinas we may learn to do your will and be good collaborators with others in the mission and vocation entrusted to us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Have a blessed day.

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.