Homily For First Sunday of Lent Year C, 9th March, 2025

 
Readings: Deut. 26:4-10; Ps.91; Rom. 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

OVERCOMING OUR DAILY STRUGGLES AGAINST SINS AND TEMPTATIONS

Today is the first Sunday in this Holy Season of Lent. Lenten season, as we know, is a period of forty days set aside by the Church for the renewal and rediscovery of oneself in God and strengthened in our daily struggle against sin and temptations, which darkens our spiritual life.

So Lenten season is another opportunity for us to reconnect to God, to be reconciled with Him and to find our place once again in God’s loving grace. It is a time for us to turn away from excessive desires for worldly things to overcome many temptations we encounter in this world and so focus our attention more closely on God.

Hence the Church is offering us the opportunity during this Holy season to reflect on who we are, our mission and our purpose in this world. The Holy season of Lent is a moment of deep reflection, a season that prepares us for that great event of Easter.

It is a season when listening to God’s words leads us to develop some inner attitude that helps us become more aware of our Christian obligations and dignity. It is a period when the Church invites us to embark on a journey of repentance and penance that will lead us to reconciliation, forgiveness and restoration.

This Lenten journey is marked especially by three traditional dimensions that are: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These three traditional dimensions were demonstrated by Jesus in our Gospel passage today. Where Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, was led to pray and fast for forty days in the wilderness, and there he was tempted by the devil, just the way Adam and Eve were tempted by the devil, who planted the seeds of pride and greed in the hearts of humanity.

We can recall that in the beginning of time, God created everything good and perfect, and He made the first man, Adam and his companion, Eve, to live in the wonderful Garden of Eden. This means that mankind, all of us were actually meant to live with God in the fullness of His grace and love, to enjoy the wonders of God’s providence and blessings forever. However, we fell into sin as we were unable to resist the temptations to sin because of pride and greed and so separate ourselves from God’s presence.

But time and time again, God has always extended his hands of mercies towards humanity; he always wants to bring us back to himself, just as we heard in our first reading today, where the Lord intervened in the ugly situation of his chosen people.

For when the Egyptians ill-treated the people of Israel and inflicted harsh slavery on them. Then they called on the Lord, the God of their fathers. The Lord heard their voice and saw their misery, their toil and oppression. So he intervened and brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand and outstretched arm, with great terror, and with signs and wonders. God saved them and gave them a land where milk and honey flow.

Referring to this great event, St. Paul, in our second reading, says: If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart, you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips, you are saved, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

So Jesus, who has come to redirect the hearts of humanity back to God, where tempted today by Satan. However, he stood firm and conquered Satan and all his tricks and empty shows. Thereby reminding us about the promise we often make during our baptism. When we promised to reject sin and Satan with all his empty promises and shows while embracing God and his son Jesus, who has come to save us from sin and death.

Therefore, we are called to imitate Jesus in prayer. Through prayer,, we make room for God in our lives and express our desire to enter into a deep friendship with the Lord. Hence, we need to spend more time with God just like Jesus, bearing in mind that we cannot live by bread alone, we need the spiritual food of God's Word. Thus, we are called to withdraw from the world in order to encounter God and truly profess our faith in him.

Dear friends, God is calling us in this Holy season of Lent, to come back to him. The world has taken us far away from him; it's time to come back. Sin has separated us from God; it's time to come back and reconcile with him. Greediness, slots, unforgiveness, love of power and money, ambition, and unhealthy friendships have separated us from God; it’s time to come back to him.

It is time to say I am sorry, Lord; I am sorry for having deviated from you, and now is time to come back. It’s time to let go of hurtful feelings, it’s time to let go of malice and the bitterness in our hearts. It’s time to say yes! yes! to God and no! no! to all the distracting things of this passing world. It’s time to love, is time to share, is time to bear with one another's failings. It’s time to forgive those who have offended us and ask for forgiveness from those we have offended.

What is stopping us from embracing this opportunity? Is it fear of the future? Or fear of failure or death? Or Fear of what people will say, is it fear of losing our position and wealth. Fear not child of God, for the Psalmist tells us that He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High and abides in the shade of the Almighty says to the Lord: ‘My refuge, my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!’

Thus, God is calling us to come back and remain firm in him in order to overcome our daily struggles against sins and temptations. For he is offering us a new life. He is offering us the opportunity to gain our life back and obtain the grace to overcome sin and temptations. For he wants to create a pure heart in us and put a steadfast spirit within us. Therefore, do not let this Holy season of Lent pass you by. Don't miss this golden opportunity. I will not miss it, but I don’t know about you?

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we come back to you and embrace the events of this Holy season, may you give us the right disposition and fill our hearts with joy, peace and love. For those who find it difficult to live the Christian life, may they learn to draw strength and grace from Jesus so as to resist the devil and all of his empty shows. Amen. Happy Sunday, wishing you a fruitful Lenten season.

Homily For Saturday after Ash Wednesday, 8th March, 2025

 

Readings: Is. 58:9-14, Ps. 86,  Luke 5:27-32

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE LORD HAS NOT COME TO CALL THE RIGHTEOUS BUT SINNERS 

Jesus on account of his mission to save humanity had been calling people from different works of life to be part of his mission, but today’s call and choice of Levi, also known as Matthew, a man identified with sinners because of his work as a tax collector, was quite strange to some people as we have it in our Gospel passage today. 

The call of Levi differs from the call of the other apostles because Levi was a tax collector, a profession that is labelled to be sinful since the collectors extort excess taxes from the people for personal profit and enrich themselves at the expense of their fellow citizens. They are thus held in great contempt. 

However, to follow Jesus, Levi must abandon his ugly but lucrative job. By so doing, he needs to also cut himself off from his old network of friends. So, it seems likely that, in a spirit of joy, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to a great feast in his house, and his fellow task collectors were present. 

But the Pharisees felt bad and offended about Jesus sharing a meal with such kind of people regarded as "sinners". So, they complained to his disciples, but Jesus had to correct this notion when he said: "It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.  

Here, we heard the innermost desire of Jesus for sinful humanity in need of salvation. The call of Levi is like the call of each of us, a choice that demonstrates Jesus' desire for sinners to repent. For all he desires is mercy and not sacrifices, repentance and not pride. 

Jesus is calling us to repentance; he is inviting us to make a fundamental choice for God. Just like Levi, who, though sinner, rose up and followed Jesus at his call for repentance, we, too, are to respond to this invitation without delay. Let Levi be an inspiration and hope for all sinners.

Dear friends, the task collectors were seen as dirty, unworthy, wicked, corrupt and evil people who were generally shunned by the rest of the society. The Pharisees looked down on them and they severely criticized Jesus for eating in the house of Levi. But they failed to realize that just like the tax collectors, they were sinners in need of God’s mercy. 

The truth is that all of us are sinners who have been privileged to have such a loving, caring, compassionate and merciful God, who is always willing to embrace us and heal us from our afflictions of sin. For we are sinners who have been called to a new existence with God, to embrace a new life filled with God’s grace and free from the corruption of sin. Because God despises our sins, but not we sinners. 

Hence, we are called to let go of our sinful occupation to embrace a more glorious one. For God has promised us through prophet Isaiah in our first reading, that if we do away with the yoke of sin, the clenched fist, the wicked word, if we give our bread to the hungry, and relief to the oppressed, then our light will shine in the darkness, and our shadows become like noon.

Therefore, as Christians during this season of Lent, we should draw ourselves closer to God by asking ourselves how we are responding to God's call for repentance. How are we relating with those we judge to be sinners? What efforts are we making to convert sinners? Remember, we are all invited to follow Jesus along the way to salvation and not to condemn or judge anyone. 

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, despite our sinfulness,  you called and chose us to be instruments of your salvation to all humanity. Through the intercession of St Matthew, give us the grace to make good choices that will help us to respond positively to your call for repentance and evangelization. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful weekend.

Homily on Friday after Ash Wednesday, 7th March, 2025

 

Readings: Is. 58:1-9; Ps. 51; Matt. 9:14-15

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

FASTING WITH THE RIGHT INTENTIONS AND PURPOSE

One of the spiritual exercises during this season of Lent is fasting. That is the willful refrainment from eating for a period of time as a means of getting our minds focused on God our creator while realizing the reality that our lives are not self-sufficient. Fasting helps us realize just how fragile we are and how much we depend on things beyond ourselves.

Fasting is not just about putting on sackcloths and ashes on oneself as were customary in the past to show repentance and regret, but more importantly, fasting must be accompanied by a change of heart from within and not just the outside.

Hence, today, prophet Isaiah, in our first reading, tells us to fast with the right intention and purpose, and not just fasting but also all other sorts of observances and practices during this Lenten season. We must have the right disposition and direction as we move along through this time of purification and repentance.

This Lenten season is a good time for us to reorientate ourselves and our lives as we seek to redress our sins and our past wicked ways of life and embrace once again God’s love and mercy. For that is the kind of fasting that pleases God and yields positive results.

Thus, in our Gospel passage today, the disciples of John the Baptist criticized Jesus and his disciples for not fasting as the Law of Moses has prescribed fasting on certain days as a custom, which they observed with great passion and zeal. The Pharisees fasted and did all that because they wanted to be praised for what they had done, and they liked it when others looked up to them for their piety and commitment.

But Jesus tells his disciples that they should not fast with such intention; rather, fasting must be for a purpose and should be done at the proper time. He said to them: Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them. But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

This is because Jesus is the groom, and as long as he is around, it would be inappropriate for his disciples to fast. However, a time will come when the groom will no longer be with them, then they will surely fast, telling us that fasting should be done at the right time for the right reasons.

Moreover, being in a relationship with Jesus is more important because what the bridegroom is to the bride is what Jesus is to the souls of all who believe in him. So Jesus is teaching us that the Kingdom of Heaven is not a matter of ritual or ceremonious fasting or feasting. But it is about building a personal relationship with God, who loves us personally and unconditionally.

Dear friends, we can make the best use of this Lenten season by turning ourselves and our whole being towards God through fasting. We should not let ourselves be distracted by the vanity of the things of this passing world. This is a time we are called to humble ourselves before God and refrain from all the corrupt ways of life, pride, greed and over-ambition which lead us to sin and death. This type of fasting is what pleases God and yields positive results. Therefore, through our fasting let us sincerely repent from our sins and make the best use of this opportunity that God has given to us.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we deny ourselves the pleasurable things of this world through fasting, may we open up our hearts to you and sincerely reject all our sinful habits and so embrace the life of holiness. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Thursday after Ash Wednesday, 6th March, 2025

 

Readings: Deut. 30:16-20, Ps. 1, Luke 9:22-25

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

COME LET US CARRY OUR DAILY CROSS AND FOLLOW THE LORD

Reflecting on the continuous hostility, persecution and influential powers of the things of this world, I think is time for us to really think twice about our faith as Christians, whether we are actually ready to live out our faith in the midst of these ugly situations in our societies, which are not stopping soon, for it is getting tougher every day. Thus, if we are really willing to live up to our Christian faith and obligations, then we need to make a radical decision towards our discipleship in a personal and radical way.

Hence, concerning this radical decision, we are called in our first reading today, to make choices between life and death, blessing or curse. And we are encouraged to choose life so that we may live in the love of the Lord our God, obeying his voice and following him, for in him consists the true meaning of life. Therefore, we are to choose that one path that leads to life while rejecting those that lead to evil and death.

Similarly, this same choice was presented by the Lord Jesus to his disciples in our Gospel passage today, as he revealed to them what he would have to endure for the salvation of humanity, how he is to be betrayed and made to suffer, crucified and die on the Cross, a most painful and humiliating death. In the end, he said that those who believe in him should take up their crosses daily and follow him. That though they may lose their lives physically in the eyes of the world, they will gain it in the eternal glory that is to come.

Dear friends, as we journey through this Lenten season, Jesus is presenting the same choice to us, for we have to choose between enjoying all that this world has to offer us, all the materialistic pursuits and excess desire for the pleasurable things around us, all the pursuits for excess money, possessions and wealth, the accumulation of vain fame and glory which in reality are separating us from God and Jesus is calling us to turn away from these worldly things and embrace the way of the Cross that teaches us to love, to sacrifice, to embrace peace, to share with one another for in it we attain holiness of life.

Therefore, we are called today to deny ourselves the pleasurable things of this passing world in order to take up our Cross and follow the Lord. It’s time to make a radical decision to sincerely and faithfully follow Jesus. But how much are we willing to sacrifice for the sake of following him? Why are we finding it difficult to follow Jesus? What are those habitual desires and possessions that are holding us from making this radical decision today? Thus, it is time to come to God with all our hearts, for tomorrow may be too late.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we decide to journey with Jesus today, help us to make the right choice by embracing the way that leads to life while rejecting our excess desire for the pleasurable things of this passing world which have weakened our hearts towards you. May the cross of Christ be for us a shining example in our daily struggles so as to hold firm in our faith despite all the sufferings and persecutions we may encounter. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily on Ash Wednesday, 5th March, 2025

 

Readings: Joel  2:12-18, Ps. 51, 2Cor 5:20-6:2 Matt. 6:1-6.16-18

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

COME LET US RETURN TO THE LORD WITH ALL OUR HEARTS 

Every day is an opportunity to return and come closer to God. However, today being Ash Wednesday, we begin a new journey towards our God. It is the day we begin our forty-day Lenten journey that leads us to the joy of Easter. And as tradition may have it, the beginning of Lent is marked with the blessing and imposition of Ash on our forehead. 

This act of putting on Ashes symbolizes our human fragility, filth and mortality, which is in dear need of God’s mercy and redemption. Calling us to remember that we are dust, and unto dust, we shall return but will raise us up again.

So, being a season of sober reflection on the journey towards our God, we are called for a change of attitude and behaviours during this Lenten season. In fact, in our first reading, prophet Joel calls us to return to the Lord with all our heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. Here, he emphasises the phrase “with all my heart”. This means turning to God from the depths of our thoughts and feelings, from the roots of our decisions, choices and actions. 

The prophet further tells us to return to the Lord our God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, ready to relent of evil. More so, in our Gospel passage today, Jesus gave us the regulations we need to follow to faithfully return to God as he calls us to be careful not to parade our good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this, we will lose all reward from our Father in heaven.

But the question that comes to mind is, with the pleasurable things of this passing world, is it possible for us to truly return to God with all our hearts? I believe so because there is a force, say Benedict XVI, that does not reside in our hearts, but that emanates from the heart of God to us. It is the power of God’s mercy and grace. Therefore, a return to the Lord is possible with God’s grace, which is a reality in our lives only when we let his grace penetrate our inmost being.

Hence, St. Paul tells us in the second reading that we cannot let this holy season pass us by because it is offered to us as a unique opportunity that reminds us about the high cost of the reconciliation offered to us at the cross on which Jesus was hung. Hence, the call to return to God with all our heart in this Lenten journey leads us through the cross, following Christ on the road to Calvary, which demands the total gift of ourselves. 

This call is a way in which we learn every day to come out more and more from our selfishness and our closures, to make room for God, who opens and transforms the heart through constant listening to His Word and making it the light that illuminates our paths. This we do following the three fundamental practices of almsgiving, prayer and fasting as a sign towards the Lenten journey of returning to God with all our heart.  

Dear friends, knowing that we are dust and unto dust we shall return, what is keeping us from returning to the Lord who has the power to raise us up again? What is That ugly attitude that often separates us from our God and from one another? Oftentimes we promise to return to God but lack the courage and discipline to fulfil that promise. So, this season is another wonderful opportunity to make the decision to return to the Lord. 

I don’t know what sin you are struggling to overcome. I don’t know how grievous our sins are? I don’t know how far we have separated ourselves from God? All I know is that God’s mercies are greater than whatever sin we may have committed. All we have to do is make that bold decision to return to him, who loves us so much and is always willing to welcome us whenever we come back to him.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we make up our minds to journey towards you these forty days, may your grace be with us to help us utilize the opportunities you are offering us, especially to repent and strive to live a holy life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a grace-filled Lenten season.

Homily For Tuesday Eight Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 4th March, 2025

Readings: Sir. 35:1-12; Ps.50; Mark 10:28-31

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE REALITY OF LEAVING EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW THE LORD

There is no doubt that the things of this world can be very captivating. The more you are attached to them, the more they consume you. We find it difficult to let go of them or know when we should be detached from them. That is why today, many people are consumed by them since they can not find any reason why they should let go of them. For we see how people can go to any length to acquire properties, treasures, fame, influence and power that will last from the fourth to their tenth generation, without thinking of that which will lead to life eternal. 

This is exactly the mindset of most people today, and this is not different from the disposition of some of the disciples of Jesus. Little wonder Peter in our Gospel passage today, asked Jesus a very important question about sacrificing everything for the sake of following him. 

So, in response, Jesus draws his attention to the fundamental principle of our human existence, when he said to him: ‘I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, father, children or land for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not be repaid a hundred times over, not without persecutions now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life.

Here, Jesus is calling us to a life of detachment from material things of this passing world. He is reassuring us that all those who have given everything committed their time and efforts, and are making sacrifices for the sake of his kingdom would not be disappointed nor left without rewards. 

Their reward in the end will be truly great, for God remembers those who love him and have given up themselves for his sake. He will guide them and remain with them throughout their journey no matter how tough it may be. Hence, we heard in our first reading that a virtuous man’s sacrifice is acceptable, and its memorial will not be forgotten, for the Lord is a good rewarder; he will reward him seven times over.

Dear friends, today Jesus addressed the very thing that most people are not ready to give up. Those things such as money, houses, credentials, love of power, pride and wealth, beauty and fame. But, if we are honest enough, we will admit that we all have some things we would be very slow to let go of if Jesus should make the demand of them. Those things we so much attached ourselves with and would not like God to ask us to give them up for the sake of following him. 

But the fact remains that, one day we will surely leave everything and go. I mean everything even our greaves. We will surely leave our house, our properties, treasures, fame, influence and power, our wealth and money. We will surely leave our relationships, friends, our job, our habits and attitudes. We will leave our wives, husbands, children, fathers, mothers and families; we will even leave our life, our beauty, handsomeness and everything we so much attached ourselves to. Then we will realize that following God is the ultimate treasure that we need. 

So, whatever we possess that will separate us from our mission of following Jesus and loving our neighbours, today we are called to give them up and come follow the Lord because in leaving them for the sake of the mission, we actually gain all in abundance.

LET US PRAY, Heavenly Father, we are so much attached to things of this passing world, help us to know that excess attachment to our earthly possessions could be an obstacle on our way to your Kingdom. Give us the grace to let go of things that often separate us from you as we learn to share with our neighbours especially the poor. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Monday Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 3rd March, 2025

 

Readings: Sir. 17:24-29; Ps. 32; Mark: 10:17-27

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHAT WILL YOU FIND VERY DIFFICULT TO LET GO FOR THE SAKE OF ETERNAL?

A critical observation of how humanity is so much attached to the things of this passing world with little or no attention to the things that edifice the human soul and lead to eternal life is quite alarming. People can go to any length to acquire properties, treasures, fame, influence and power that will last from the fourth to their tenth generation without thinking of how to acquire that which will lead them to eternal life.

This is exactly the mindset of most people today, and this is not different from the disposition of the rich man and some of the disciples of Jesus in our Gospel passage today, little wonder Peter asked Jesus a very important question about sacrificing everything for the sake of following him after the rich man walked away from Jesus because he could not let go of his riches and follow Jesus.

So, in response, Jesus draws his attention to the fundamental principle of our human existence, when he said to him: My children, ‘how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

Here, Jesus is not condemning human riches, so we should not think that he is asking or demanding that we should surrender all of our wealth and worldly possessions. No, that was not what he intended and we should not interpret the Gospel passage literally. Rather, what Jesus is saying is that we should learn to live a life of detachment in order to follow him wholeheartedly. That means we must put God first and above every other thing. We should not allow our worldly possessions, fame, wealth, influence and power to separate us from God and our salvation.

So, Jesus is reassuring us that all those who have given everything committed their time and efforts, and are making sacrifices for the sake of his kingdom would not be disappointed nor left without rewards. Their reward in the end will be truly great, for God remembers those who love him and have given themselves for his sake. He will guide them and remain with them throughout their journey no matter how tough it may be.

Thus, we should not depend on worldly possession and power for they will rob us of true wisdom. Little wonder, in our first reading today, we were told to return to the Lord and leave sin behind, plead before his face and lessen our offence. Come back to the Most High and turn away from iniquity, and hold in abhorrence all that is foul. How great is the mercy of the Lord, his pardon on all those who turn towards him!

Dear friends, what is the essence of our existence in this world? What does God really require from us in this life? Do you know that without God everything in life is vanity vanishing? So today Jesus addressed the very thing that most people are not ready to give up. Those things such as money, houses, credentials, love of power, pride and wealth. But, if we are honest enough, we will admit that we all have some things we would be very slow to let go of if Jesus should make the demand of them. Those things we so much attached ourselves with and would not like God to ask us to give them up for the sake of following him.

In fact, it might be a good thing today for us to ask ourselves what would be the most difficult thing for us to give up if Jesus should ask us to do so. It might be something we own, like our properties, treasures, fame, influence and power or wealth; it may be a relationship, our job, or our habits and attitudes.

So, whatever we possess that will separate us from our mission of following Jesus and loving our neighbours, today we are called to give them up and come follow the Lord because in leaving them for the sake of Jesus, we actually gain all in abundance. Therefore, let us not be carried away by the beauty of the things of this passing world, for nothing lasts forever. Rather, we should remain steadfast in our faith in God, who has called us to love him and to love one another, for that is all that the Lord has required from us in this life.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we are so much attached to things of this passing world, help us to know that excess attachment to our earthly possessions could be an obstacle on our way to your Kingdom. Give us the grace to let go of things that often separate us from you as we learn to share with our neighbours especially the poor. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed week.