Homily For Saturday Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 9th February 2025

 

Readings: Heb. 13:15-17.20-21, Ps.23, Mark 6:30-34

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LORD MAKE US GOOD AND RESPONSIBLE SHEPHERDS

There is no doubt that humanity is constantly in need of one thing or the other; we are never tired of searching for things that will satisfy our desires for physical and spiritual well-being. This is even worse with the ugly situation in our country today, where people are lost, confused, sick and completely broke as a result of our selfish desires.

Today in our country we are all suffering like sheep without responsible shepherds, no money in circulation, no fuel, no light, no food, no good roads, and no one thing to be proud of in this country, because we have constantly failed to do the right things or elect people off goodwill to manage public offices. This can be likened to the situation and condition of the people in our Gospel passage today of which Jesus and his disciples devoted time trying to address the situation.

But as the situation grew worse, Jesus said to his disciples you must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while,’ for there were so many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat. As they went through their boat, the people went after them on foot. So, as Jesus stepped ashore, he saw a large crowd, and he took pity on them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he healed their sickness and taught them for a while.

Here, Jesus fulfils his role as the expected messiah who is to liberate his people from all kinds of diseases and ugly situations. The teaching and healing touch of Jesus reveals to us that God is faithful to his promises. This healing and wholeness are offered as a sign of the presence of God’s kingdom among his people. For we are told in our first reading that Jesus has become the great Shepherd of the sheep by his blood that sealed an eternal covenant. Thereby making us ready to do his will in any kind of good action; by turning us all into whatever is acceptable to himself. How I wish that we all can learn to do the right thing and be responsible with whatever obligation entrusted to us just like Jesus and his disciples.

Dear friends, the hopeless and ugly situation in our country today is a good indication that we are just floating in this world like sheep without responsible Shepherds. Thus, we need to come to Jesus our true and Good Shepherd. We must make sure that nothing comes between us and the love of Jesus our Lord; even if we are troubled or worried, or being persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even attacked, we should remain focused towards achieving the greater goal through goodwill.

For these are the trials through which we triumph, by the power of him who loved us so much. We must ensure that neither death nor life, no angel, no princes of this world, nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any power, or height or depth, nor any created thing, can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord who is our true Shepherd.

Therefore, let us come to Jesus our Good Shepherd and embrace his love and compassion. Let us have goodwill for one another. Let us be good leaders at any level we find ourselves. Let us pray for good leaders, especially in these coming elections, by going out to elect good and credible leaders in every sector and office in our societies, not just presidents, governors and senators. Let us know those we are entrusting with the responsibility of managing public offices. By so doing, our prayers and desires for good leaders will be granted.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are lost in this passing world, as we come to you in need of your love and direction both physically and spiritually, guide us once again towards the path of truth, love and fulfilment even in the midst of all the confusion in our country today. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed weekend.

Homily For Friday Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 7th February 2025

 

Readings: Heb. 13:1-8, Ps.27, Mark 6:14-29

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

HOW DO YOU REACT WHEN YOU SEE INNOCENT PEOPLE SUFFER INJUSTICE?

Lucky Dube, in one of his albums, said that he who stands for the truth will always stand alone. This is the case with John the Baptist, whose head was the prize for the truth he told Herod and Herodias, as we read in the Gospel passage today. This terrible crime, which points at what is done to Jesus in his Passion, demonstrates how good people, especially when they struggle for justice, are condemned to suffer at the hands of greed and powerful people who become very cruel and as a result, the innocent suffer.

The root of the whole problem is that King Herod made an unwise promise out of pride but found it difficult to change his mind and admit that he was wrong. He did not plan to execute John that night. He was persuaded by Herodias to do so because he was a weak man. He is a slave to the opinion of others; he fears the people who revered John; he also fears the reaction of his guests if he should retract his oath. Thus, the head of the innocent, who was in prison for speaking the truth was sacrificed on the altar of human ego.

Dear friends, can you stand for truth and defend the innocents against prideful authority? How far can we stand for the truth we professed. Or Like Herod, how often do we make unwise promises out of pride and Week to change it? When we make bad decisions, how quickly are we able to change our minds and admit that we are wrong? If today we happen to be one of Herod’s guests, what would have been our reaction? Will I have protested or stayed silent? So how do we react, when we see others suffering injustice?

Perhaps, today we can think of all the victims of truth in our societies, the vulnerable, the innocent in our society and all those who are exploited and used to achieve the ends of others. These ugly events in our society, how are we confronting them? Do we have the courage to speak up or protest, even at the cost of our heads and our lives? Little wonder we were told in our first reading to continue to love each other like brothers and remember always to welcome strangers, for by doing this, some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

Also, we are told to keep in mind those who are in prison like John the Baptist, as though we were in prison with them; and those who are being badly treated, since we too are in the one body. As regards the ugly attitudes of Herodias, we are reminded that marriage is to be honoured by all. Therefore, we are to ensure that marriages are kept undefiled, for fornicators and adulterers will come under God’s judgement. We are called to put greed and pride out of our lives and be content with whatever we have; for God himself has said: I will not fail you or desert you, and so we can say with confidence: With the Lord to help me, I fear nothing: what can man do to me?

LET US PRAY: Lord God, give us the grace to stand for the truth and help us never to make unwise promises. May you direct our intentions and guide our words so that we may grow in compassion for the innocent victims in our families, societies, country and the world at large, through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Thursday Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 6th February, 2025. The Memorial of St. Paul Miki and Companions

Readings: Heb. 12:18-19.21-24, Ps.47, Mark 6:7-13

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

EXPERIENCING THE NATURE OF OUR MISSION

The rebellious nature of humanity has always kept us away from responding to God's invitation to Life of love, holiness, faithfulness and integrity. Hence, humanity has always failed to understand the true ways of God, his creator. However, God has not stopped caring and stretching his hands of love towards us.

In every generation, God always sends messengers to remind us of his love and plan for humanity. This is exactly what we have in our Gospel passage today, where Jesus sent his twelve disciples, the foundation of the future Church community, to do exactly the same work of evangelization that he has been doing.

 Hence, he gave them authority over unclean spirits and instructed them to preach repentance, that radical conversion towards the vision of the Kingdom; they were to anoint the sick and heal them. These three activities cover the whole nature of the human person: spiritual, mental and physical. Healing and wholeness, health and holiness. In this mission, they were instructed to travel lightly, bringing only what they absolutely needed. No food or money or even a change of clothes. They will not need these things because they will be taken care of by the people they serve.

So in this Gospel, Jesus is preparing his disciples for a task ahead. He lets them experience the nature of their mission, the challenges, obstacles and dangers which await them. He gave them the guidelines about the mission and sent them out. So, they succeeded because the power of God was working in them. The message entrusted to the disciples by Jesus is to offer peace and announce the coming of God's kingdom. This same message of peace and justice, forgiveness and healing has been entrusted to the Church down the centuries.

Now, it is our turn to witness it. The disciples returned with joy. We will experience that same joy when we do what the Lord wants because, our joy is rooted in our identifying with Jesus, not in what we do. So the source of our joy should be our status in heaven as beloved sons and daughters of God, and not on our success over the evil forces or the things of this passing world. Thus, the Lord has entrusted to us an awesome responsibility and privilege to carry the message of God’s love, peace and mercy to the world.

Little wonder, in our first reading we are reminded of who we are. Because by virtue of this mission, we are invited to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem where the millions of angels have gathered for the festival, with the whole Church in which everyone is a ‘first-born son’ and a citizen of heaven. Unfortunately, many of the disciples have to face rejection and persecution from the people, who, through their rebellious attitude, have refused to believe in God even though he has always been so patient, loving, caring and forgiving. This is what we see in the lives of Paul Miki and Companions, whose memorial we are celebrating today. They are the Holy Martyrs of Nagasaki in Japan.

These twenty-six Martyrs of Japan were crucified on a hill, now known as the Holy Mountain, overlooking Nagasaki. Among them were priests, brothers and laymen, Franciscans, Jesuits and members of the Secular Franciscan Order; there were catechists, doctors, simple artisans and servants, old men and innocent children, all united in common faith and love for Jesus, their good Shepard. They remained faithful to the very end and faced martyrdom with courage and so received from Jesus the crown of true and everlasting glory.

Dear friends, today we are reminded about the condition and nature of our mission, calling humanity to repent from our sinful and rebellious attitudes in order to embrace the compassionate love and care that God is offering us. As disciples of Christ, we have received a lot from God without payment; we should learn to give without expecting a reward.

Therefore, we must offer to others these same gifts which we have received. We are to show love to people, forgive, help the needy and share with one another the gifts God has blessed us with and if our love and care are rejected, we should offer it as a sign for the judgement day. Remember, your kind gestures today can turn someone's life around now or later and by so doing we extend God’s divine compassion to rebellious humanity.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we are reminded about the condition and nature of our mission for which you sacrificed a lot to save us from our rebellious and sinful attitudes, open our hearts once again to repent and embrace your compassionate love and care for us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Wednesday Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 5th February, 2025. The Memorial of St. Agatha

 

Readings: Heb. 12:4-7.11-15, Ps.103, Mark 6:1-6

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

NEVER GIVE UP BECAUSE OF THE WAY PEOPLE TREAT YOU NOW

In life, people are quick to neglect and look down on others, who they believe cannot offer them anything good at the moment. They are quick to forget that everyone, no matter the present condition is a potential instrument for God's blessings. This is the ugly attitude of the people of Nazareth in our Gospel passage today.

For when Jesus came to his home town and taught the people in the synagogue in such a way that they were astonished, but instead of embracing the message of Jesus, they treated him with contempt and in their pride they said: ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? This is the carpenter’s son, surely? Is not his mother the woman called Mary, and his brothers and sisters here with us? Where did he get all these?’

Thus, out of pride and contempt, the people rejected the blessings God had for them. And like the prophets of old, Jesus was not accepted by the very people to whom he had been sent. Because the people showed only little faith, he was only able to cure a few of the sick. But he went on to teach in other villages, while there were some great works done in his hometown. So, if he is not allowed to do good where he would, he must do it some other place.

Therefore, he had to move on, he did not insist on convincing those whose minds were closed. Consequently, they miss out on the blessings he is offering them. So, in their pride,, they treated him with contempt. Today, this kind of ugly attitude is what stops people from doing good because they don’t want to be treated with contempt, and as a result, a lot of people have been deprived of their blessings out of human pride and contempt.

Dear friends, do not treat anyone with contempt, for everyone is a potential instrument of God’s blessings and favour. And if we want to make a difference in life, we should be ready to ignore what people are saying about us now, we have to forget our past failures and our humble beginning. People may not appreciate us now; they may even say all kinds of things about us just to humiliate and discourage us.

But we should not give up, for we are told in our first reading that in the fight against sin, we have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of death and when the Lord corrects us, we should not treat it lightly or get discouraged when he reprimands us. For the Lord trains the ones that he loves and he punishes all those that he acknowledges as his sons. God is treating us as his sons and daughters, of course, any punishment is most painful at the time, but later, in those on whom it has been used, it bears fruit in peace and goodness.

Therefore, we should put all our obstacles behind us and work hard for our dreams, give our time to them, sacrifice our sleep and comfort, sweat for it, plan for it, overcome all our terrors of opposition, enduring pains and obstacles, with the help of God we will succeed and become a source of God's blessings. Then we will sing joyfully to God our strength and all the people will gather about us in praise of our God. And they will say: Is not this the Carpenter's sons or daughters? Where, then, did they get all these? Yes, that's who we are, for Jesus is the Carpenter of our success and salvation.

This is what we see in the life of St Agatha of Sicily, whose memorial we celebrate today, for Agatha, who, from her very early years, was notably beautiful. And because of her love for Jesus, she dedicated her life to God as a consecrated virgin. But this did not stop men from desiring her. One of the men who desired Agatha was Quintianus, and because he was of a high diplomatic ranking, thought he could force her to turn away from her vow and so force her to get married. His persistent proposals were consistently turned down by Agatha.

So Quintianus, knowing she was a Christian during the persecution of Christians by Decius, had her arrested and brought before the judge. Too bad for Agatha, because, Quintianus was also the Judge. Hence, he sentenced Agatha to prison in a brothel to see if she would change her mind. But noticing that Agatha was enduring all the torture with a sense of cheer, he commanded she be subjected to a worse form of torture, he ordered that her breasts be cut off.

Amid this torture, Agatha prayed to Jesus and committed her suffering soul to his care. And with tears falling from her eyes she died a virgin and martyr. Today she is the patron saint of Sicily, breast cancer patients, rape victims, wet nurses and a powerful intercessor for people who suffer from fire outbreaks.

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, oftentimes in our pride we treat people with contempt because of their humble background, give us the grace to realize that everyone is a potential instrument of your blessings and favour to humanity, and as we struggle towards our goals, may you crown all our efforts and sacrifices with success. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Homily For Tuesday Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 4th February, 2025

 

Readings: Heb. 12:1-4; Ps.22; Mark 5:21-43

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

PUT YOUR FAITH INTO POSITIVE ACTION AND IT WILL YIELD THE RESULT YOU DESIRE

In our societies today people are going through a lot of difficulties. So, every day, we struggle against these troubles and tribulations, and people are doing everything they can to overcome them. But oftentimes, it seems as if we are not making progress because we don’t have enough faith to subdue our challenges, and out of fear, we fall victim and are helpless. The fact remains that we have faith, but we have not been able to actively and radically put it into action like the synagogue official whose daughter had died but came to Jesus for help and also the woman with a haemorrhage in our Gospel passage today.

In this passage, one of the officials came to Jesus and said, ‘My daughter is desperately sick, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.’ Jesus then rose and his disciples followed him to the official’s house. On their way, a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years came behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, ‘If I can only touch his cloak, I shall be well again.’

So, Jesus turned round and saw her; and he said to her, ‘Courage, my daughter, your faith has restored you to health.’ And from that moment the woman was well again. When Jesus reached the official’s house and saw the crowd making a commotion he said, ‘Get out of here; the little girl is not dead, she is asleep.’ And they laughed at him. But he went inside and took the little girl by the hand; and the girl arose.

Here, the father of this little girl had faith and radically put his faith into positive action, for he confessed great faith in the resurrection. He believed that even Jesus’ slightest touch would restore life in his daughter, likewise, the woman with a haemorrhage. This story of the little girl and the woman with haemorrhage has interesting similarities: Both were called “daughters”, and both were restored at the demonstration of radical faith in the touch of Jesus. The woman had been ill for twelve years, and the little girl was twelve years old. Both the woman and the little girl have been cut off from normal societal activities.

On the other hand, there were also differences between them. First, the official is an influential man in the community, but the woman is unclean and an outcast. The man approaches Jesus boldly, but the woman approaches him timidly. The girl was raised based on the father’s radical faith; the woman was restored through her own faith, for she was very sure that the very moment she touched the Lord’s cloak,k, all her troubles were ended, for her body was made whole again.

This woman and the little girl actually represent the sinful humanity in need of God’s mercy, salvation and restoration. The faith and intercession of the synagogue official signifies the great intercessions of the saints and the people of God towards the restoration of humanity. The woman’s bleeding signifies the iniquity of all humanity who are defiled by the constant shading of innocent blood through violence, wars and abortions, thereby making humanity unworthy of God’s presence. Her reaching out to touch Jesus and her restoration signifies the effort each one of us needs to make to reach out to God to be restored and, finally, the willingness of Jesus to heal all of us just as he had healed the woman from all of her troubles and restored the girl back to life. But this requires that we radically put our faith into action.

Dear friends, we are called to put our faith into positive action. For if we have no faith in the Lord and refuse to put our faith in action, we will suffer, and there is no hope for us. I don’t know why we are often stubborn and often hardened our hearts and minds by refusing to trust the Lord, who is so generous and compassionate.

Today, therefore, we are made to know that it is not enough to have faith; we must radically put our faith into action no matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection as we heard in our first reading. For it is through active faith that we can reach out to God in prayers and so obtain what we desire.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of faith, give us the grace and courage to put our gift of faith into positive action that yields positive results. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

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.