Homily For Monday Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 3rd February 2025

 

Readings: Heb. 11:32-40, Ps.31, Mark 5:1-20

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE PRESENCE OF JESUS DRIVES AWAY THE EVIL ONES

There is no doubt that there is an active presence of evil in the world, which manifests itself in different forms and occasions. This is really obvious in the time of Jesus, for he seemed to have lived in a world of hostility, political and family divisions, as well as the conflict between good and evil, just like we have in our world today. Thus, every day is a struggle against the malice of the evil ones, and people are doing everything they can to overcome them.

Hence in our Gospel passage today, we see how the presence of Jesus terrifies the evil ones which had possessed a man for a long time and have been tormenting the community. These unclean spirits were so fierce that no one could pass that way. So when the man saw Jesus, he ran to him and said: ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? Swear by God you will not torture me!’ For Jesus had been saying to him, ‘Come out of the man, and they came out from the men and immediately entered the swine, and the swine rushed into the lake and perished in the water.

Here, we are called to recognize that the presence of Jesus in the world brings about victory over the evil one. For demons recognize Jesus as the power of God. And his power over demons is a direct defeat of the evil one. While the restoration of the man possessed, signifies the inauguration of God's kingdom in the world and the healing of God’s people, who had sinned and disobeyed God by abandoning his precepts and laws, preferring instead the wicked ways of life and worldly practices which leads to destruction.

Dear friends, today, each and every one of us is called to seek good and not evil, to promote justice and integrity, knowing that no matter how great our sins may have been, God alone has the power to heal us and to bring us back to Himself. And Jesus has given us the gift of his presence in the person of the Holy Spirit, which God has bestowed on us in our baptism. In this gift resides the power and authority to confront the evil of this world and overcome it.

Thus, in our first reading, we are challenged to imitate our heroes of faith, who, though they were weak people, were given the strength to be brave in war and bring victory to God’s people. For Jesus has won the greatest victory for us by setting us free from sickness, evil forces and manipulations of the evil ones. He desires to be with us as we struggle every day to overcome the evils in our lives, our families, our societies and the world at large. Therefore, 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.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, the world is full of evil and wickedness; give us the grace to seek what is good and hate what is evil, and as we struggle every day to do your will, may your presence be felt and drive away all evil forces in our midst through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you God’s favour and blessings this week.

Homily For Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 2nd February, 2025. The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. (World Day For Consecrated Life)

 

Readings: Mal.3:1-4, Ps.24, Heb. 2:14-18, Luke 2:22-40

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS INTO THE TEMPLE OF HUMAN HEARTS

Today, in a special way, we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation. An event that takes place forty days after the birth of Jesus at Christmas. A day we are reminded of the event of the Presentation of Jesus in the temple at Jerusalem. This event serves three purposes; the first is the redemption of the first-born male, which according to the law of Moses, was set apart for God. The second purpose is the purification of Mary, which is done after giving birth, and the third is the Presentation of Jesus into the temple of God, which dwells in human hearts.

Hence, in our Gospel passage today, St Luke explained that Mary and Joseph wished to fulfil all the prescriptions of the law in order to emphasize that Jesus was born into a family of simple people, lowly but of steadfast faith: a family that belonged to the poor of Israel the true People of God. It is important to note that these three purposes are the purification of the mother, the redemption of the son and the presentation, aimed at giving an account of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple of God, which dwells in human hearts. A symbol of the reality that shows the act of offering the Son of the Most High to the Father who sent him.

Hence, this becomes the confirmation of the words of the Prophet Malachi which we heard at the beginning of the first Reading: “Behold”, says the Lord, “I send my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming to purify the sons of Levi. Then the offering will be pleasing to the Lord” (3:1- 4), thereby indicating the role of the child.

The same child Jesus, who is immediately presented in the Temple, is the same person who, as an adult, would purify the temple of our hearts (Jn 2:13-22). Above all, he would make himself the sacrifice and the High Priest of the New Covenant, as we heard in our second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews. A passage which tells us about the new priesthood instituted by Christ the High Priest.

For which he will suffer greatly as prophecy by Simeon in our Gospel passage concerning both the Child Jesus and Mary the Mother when he said: “Behold, this Child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against, a sword will pierce through your soul also that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Thus, this is pointing out the salvation which Jesus will bring to his people, that which he embodies in himself, as he passed through the Cross, the violent death by which he was to vanquish death and transform humanity with the sacrifice of his life through love. Hence, he becomes the true Light of the world of which Simeon and Anna proclaimed as a revelation, that Jesus was to be the High Priest of all, who is to absolve and redeem all mankind from their sins. By so doing becomes the true Light that enlightens every man who is born into this world.

Dear friends, today, as we encounter Christ, the true Light of the world presented in the temple of our hearts, let us, of course, allow ourselves to be enlightened and made radiant by this light. Let us share in its splendour, and be filled with its radiance so that no one remains in the darkness. Let us bring this Light of Christ into our families and our homes so that through sharing in his light, we may be brought out of the darkness that covers our lives as individuals, families, communities, societies, country and the world at large.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we celebrate the presentation of your Son Jesus today, let the light of his presence dispel the darkness in our lives, in our families, societies and so illuminate our paths as we struggle and journey in faith towards achieving our goals and purposes in life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you. 

Homily For Saturday Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 1st February 2025

Readings: Heb. 11:1-2.8-19, Ps. Luke 1:69-75, Mark 4:35-41

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

HAVE YOU TEL THE LORD ABOUT THE HEAVY STORMS IN YOUR LIFE? 

In this scripture, we often hear stories of how people struggle with heavy storms as they are assailed through the sea. Today our fisherman and the Marine men who were into the sea business can tell us better what it means to be on the sea with heavy storms. A situation where the need to look for a Saviour is highly expected. Such was the case with the disciples of Jesus in our Gospel passage today. It is a story about the disciples’ panic and fear of perishing as a result of the heavy storm that is affecting their boat. 

As this heavy storm was almost breaking their boat, the disciples could not believe that Jesus was asleep while they were afraid and needed help from anywhere. So they went to him and woke him saying, ‘Teacher, do you not care if we perish? And Jesus said: “Peace! Be still!!” And the Storm ceased and there was a great calm. Then he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’ The men were astounded and said, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him.’

This story signifies God’s chosen people on a transit of faith, frightened by the guilt of sin and wounded by the waves of the sea, the abode of evil forces and monsters of this world. The boat can be taken as a symbol of the faith of the Church and the people of God struggling with the world’s principalities and powers, while the storms are symbols of heavy persecution and suffering by the people of God. 

And Jesus is saying: why are you so frightened, you men of little faith. Little wonder we are told in our first reading that only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen. For it was by faith that Abraham when put to the test, offered up Isaac in obedience to God.

Dear friends, have you told the Lord about the heavy storms in your life? There is no doubt that there is an active presence of evil in the world, which manifests itself in different forms as a storm in our lives. So, every day is a struggle against the malice of the evil ones, and people are doing everything they can to overcome them.  Do not be frightened by the storms of this passing world,  have faith in God. 

Today, Jesus is inviting us into his boat of life, thereby calling us to journey on this boat with unwavering faith and a repented heart because the world is being tossed around by the waves of evil forces, the enemies of humanity. And it is only God who can subdue it, for he has promised to restore us back to himself. 

Therefore, I don’t know the great storms of doubt and fear in your soul? I don’t know if you are under the power of the evil forces of this world. I don’t know how long and heavy the storm has been in your life. All I know is that with great faith in God, the heavy storms in our lives will become calm, for Jesus will surely rebuke the violent storms in our hearts so that we can experience once again the calmness of his peace and joy. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God. As we struggle every day to overcome the ugly situation around us, grant that the violent storms and waves of bondage in our lives, our families and the world will end in a wonderful calm that brings peace to our souls. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful and joyful New Month.

Homily For Friday Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 31st January, 2025. The Memorial of St. John Bosco

 

Readings: Heb. 10: 32-39, Ps.37, Mark 4:26-34

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

GROWING YOUR FAITH LIKE THE GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED

In the scriptures, using a simple story to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson has always been one of the characteristics of Jesus when addressing the people regarding things that are very important. By couching his teaching in parables, Jesus made certain points much clearer to his audience. This is evident in our Gospel passage today where he told us the parable of the mustard seed, using it to describe the nature of God’s kingdom which he came to establish in the hearts of humanity. 

Here, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed growing from the Word of God spoken to the hearts of his few disciples which will grow and spread to the hearts of all humanity. This analogy focuses on the size of the seed that grows to become a might tree that gives shelter and salvation to all.

More so, Jesus is not just speaking of the size of the mustard seed, but also the faith of the people as that of a mustard seed. Telling us that just as the mustard seed responded to the word of God and grows into a might tree, so will the faith of the people grow into great vessel through hearing and doing the word of God and so build up the kingdom of God. 

Nevertheless, these two analogies of the mustard seed symbolize the humble beginnings of the Christian faith which is well watered by the Holy Spirit to grow and give life and hospitality to all the people of the world. Hence, in building the kingdom of God, we are reminded in our first reading that we will need endurance to do God’s will and gain what he has promised. For we should not be the sort of people who draw back, and are lost by it; rather, we should be the sort of people who keep faithful until our souls are saved in our heavenly kingdom. 

Dear friends, we need to let our knowledge of God’s kingdom grow like that of mustard seed, knowing that in the world today we have different kinds of seeds. But the question remains, what kind of seeds are we embracing and watering in our lives today? Are we watering valuable mustard seeds of faith, love, holiness, hospitality, obedience, charity that will lead us to God’s kingdom? Or are we watering weeds that are distracting us from attaining heaven. We  must stop watering such weeds, rather let us feed ourselves with valuable mustard seeds. For when we feed and water such values, we will grow stronger like the mustard tree where people may find solace and so build up God’s kingdom.

This is what we see in the life of St. John Bosco whose memorial we celebrate today for despite the challenges and oppositions he faced in life, he remained committed to his work as a priest and made great impacts in the lives the youths of his time and even in our time for through many people who sharing in his spirituality, he founded the Order of the Salesians of Don Bosco, one of the great religious orders in our society today.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as you sow the seeds of your word in our hearts, give us the grace to grow it into the mustard tree of faith, holiness and hospitality and by so doing build up your heavenly kingdom, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Homily For Thursday Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 30th January 2025

Readings: Heb. 10: 19-25, Ps.24, Mark 4:21-25

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LEARN TO LISTEN WITH YOUR EARS

The ears which consist of the pinna are organs of hearing. It is a gift from God through which we have the faculty of being able to perceive sounds and recognize something in an auditory way. To exercise the faculty of this organ effectively we must learn to use it to listen attentively to information. The world, no doubt, is full of noise, echoing different things in our minds through our ears.

But what are we feeding our ears with? How are we using these organs? How has this organ helped us in our spiritual life amid this noisy world? How have we managed the noise in our lives, in families and in society which distracts us from listening to God? What are the things we hear or listen to? The Word of God we hear every day. How has it developed our relationship with God and our neighbour?

Therefore, when Jesus said in our Gospel reading today, “he who has ears let him hear”, he is referring to our ability to listen to God's Word and act on it even amid this noisy world. Thus, what Jesus means is that the person who seeks to gain some spiritual insight into what he is saying will have that insight increased when they listen.

Whereas whoever does not listen to him will end up in spiritual ignorance. To avoid this, we are reminded in our first reading that through the blood of Jesus, we have the right to enter the sanctuary in a new way that he has opened for us, which stirs a response in love and good works when we listen to Jesus.

Dear friends, by listening, hearing and following Jesus, we grow in familiarity with his voice and hear him more. And by so doing we make Jesus the light of our lives placed on the lampstand to give light and insight to our souls as individuals, family and society, illuminating all the darkness around us.

 LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, our ears are gifts from you; help us to use them properly. And as we carry out our activities today, may our ears hear the consoling words of Jesus guiding and directing us towards the light of his presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Remain blessed.

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.