Homily For Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent Year C, 19th March 2025 The Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of Mary

 

Readings: 2 Sam. 7:4-5.12-14.16, Ps. 89,  Rom. 4:13.16-18.22, Matt. 1:16.18-21.24

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

ST. JOSEPH A MAN OF GREAT SILENCE 

Today, we celebrate the solemnity of St Joseph, Husband of Mary, a man of great virtues. Thus, the liturgy presents to us the events preceding the birth of Jesus and invites us to contemplate especially the roles of St Joseph in the life of Jesus and Mary. 

In the Gospel, Mary was presented as a virgin betrothed to Joseph. That means they were not yet living together because they were not yet married. Meanwhile, Mary, after the annunciation, came to be with a child by the power of the Holy Spirit. When Joseph realized this, he was heartbroken. What will he do? How is he going to handle this? The Gospel tells us that Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put Mary to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. 

Joseph seeks to do his will quietly before the angel speaks to him about his mission and role.  We can imagine the great trauma Joseph was passing through when we think about the love he has for Mary. But even in these circumstances, he intends to do the will of God and decides, surely with great sorrow, to send Mary away quietly. We need to meditate on these words to understand the great trial that Joseph had to endure. 

Hence, we can see how this Gospel passage reveals to us the magnanimity of Joseph’s heart and soul. How he wished to follow his own plan, but God was reserving another plan for him, a greater mission. Joseph was a man who always listened to the voice of God; he was deeply sensitive to his secret will; he was a man attentive to the messages that came to him from the depths of his heart. He did not persist in following his own plan; he did not allow bitterness to poison his soul; rather, silently, he was ready to make himself available to the event of the new mission entrusted to him, what a great virtue.

Little wonder, Pope John Paul II, who was very devoted to St Joseph, emphasised in his Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, “The Guardian of the Redeemer”, that the silence of St Joseph is a model for contemplating the mystery of God in an attitude of total availability to the divine desires. Shows us that Joseph’s silence does not express an inner emptiness but, on the contrary, the fullness of the faith he bears in his heart which guides all his thoughts and actions. 

It is this great virtues and personality that made him stand out in the fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham and David in our first reading, which St. Paul affirms in our second reading and is well portrayed in the Psalmist telling us that his dynasty will last forever which consist not on account of any law but on account of the righteousness which consists in faith.

Dear friends, we really need to embrace the great virtues of St Joseph, especially the virtue of silence. Therefore, let us cultivate this virtue of silence and allow ourselves to be filled and guided by silence, especially in a world full of noise and distractions. A world that encourages neither recollection nor listening to God nor one another. The truth is that our world is in dear need of people with St Joseph’s kind of virtues; we all are in need of such silence if we really wish to make great and positive decisions that will make a difference in our society today. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we embrace this Holy season of Lent, let us, through the intercessions of St. Joseph, cultivate the inner attitude of silence and recollection in order to fully embrace the spirit of the season so as to joyfully experience the glory of Easter. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a grace-filled day.

Homily For Tuesday in the Second Week of Lent Year C, 18th March 2025

 
Readings: Is. 1:10.16-20; Ps. 50; Matt. 23:1-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

WHAT KIND OF A LEADER ARE YOU?

Leadership is one of the characteristics of the human person; it is that which makes us unique from every other creature of God. It is a gift from God by which we serve him and our neighbour responsibly. But this gift often has been abused and misused by people who were entrusted with the responsibility of leading others.

This is the case with the Scribes and the Pharisees in the Gospel passage today, who had the responsibility to lead people to the Kingdom of heaven, but with their ugly ways of life, they neither enter nor allow those who want to enter to go in.

Hence, Jesus told his disciples that since the scribes and the Pharisees occupied the chair of Moses. They must, therefore, do what they tell them and listen to what they say, but do not be guided by what they do since they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move any. Everything they do is done to attract attention.

Here, Jesus made it clear that we should listen to what the authorities are saying to us. However, we should not be such people who do not put into practice what we teach. So, as Christians, we need to start practising what we preach; we need to do more witnessing than preaching. It is not enough to recall principles, state intentions, point to blatant injustice and utter prophetic denunciation; these kinds of words lack the real meaning of our faith unless they are accompanied by effective action manifested in our way of life.

Thus, Jesus called the Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites and blind guides because they misused the gift of leadership entrusted to them. So, today, we are called not to be like them; rather, we should be humble, committed and responsible with whatever we are entrusted with. Jesus made us to know that the greatest among us must be the servant of all. Because anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.

Hence, prophet Isaiah tells us in our first reading to hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of the world; listen to the command of our God, you people of corruption. ‘Wash, make yourselves clean. Take your wrong-doing out of God’s sight. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good, search for justice, help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, plead for the widow.

Dear friends, what kind of a leader are you? Are you that good leader that humanity seeks in a world full of leaders with Pharisaic spirits of greed, selfishness, pride and corruption? Today, we need leaders who will be true servants of the people at all levels of leadership, beginning from the self to the family, to societies and to another level where we may find ourselves.

But what does it take to be a good leader? Jesus says humility that comes from a humble heart that wishes to serve and not to be served. A heart that understands that leadership is sacrificial. Can I be such a leader in my family, society and country?

LET US PRAY: Lord God, humanity are suffering because of corrupt, greedy and selfish leaders who occupy virtually every important position of leadership. As we embrace your words today, may we become good leaders in our families, societies and the world at large? We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Monday in the Second Week of Lent Year C, 17th March 2025. The Feast of St. Patrick the Patron St. Of Nigeria

Readings: 1Peter 4:7-11 , Ps. 96, Luke 5:1-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

AN ENCOUNTER THAT LEADS TO OUR TRUE VOCATION 

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 your pride into humility, sinfulness into righteousness. This is the kind of experience that Simon had with Jesus in our Gospel passage today, which made him realize his emptiness, and he fell to the knees of Jesus, confessing his unworthiness. 

This is because Jesus had said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signaled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus, saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’ 

 This very encounter leads to the discovery of Simeon’s true vocation which brought true conversion in his life. This encounter changed their destiny and mission from fishermen to fishers of men. For they obeyed the Lord who told them to put out into the deep waters, and as soon as they followed his instructions, they netted so much fish that the whole boat could not take it. This glorious event manifested the power and grace of God at work in us especially when we humble ourselves.

 

Dear friends, today we celebrate the Feast of St. Patrick, a great missionary who understood what it mean to be fishers of men like Simon and his brothers. He was known for his personal experience of the Lord in a vision in which he was asked to go and evangelize the people of Ireland, where he came from. This he successfully carried out, and this brought about the Irish missionaries who later became a major force in the spreading of the Gospel all over the world. Nigeria and most African countries are beneficiaries of this great sacrificial mission.  

Therefore, as we celebrate St Patrick, we are called to reflect on our personal encounter with God. How have we personally experienced God? When was our spiritual turning point? Do we have a personal conviction about God that is not based on what people have told us about him? 

In case we have not personally encountered him, all we need to do is to sincerely seek God in those common events in our lives. Then, we will realize how much God is willing to reveal himself to us. For we heard in our first reading, that each one of us has received a special gift and as good stewards of God’s different grace, we must render our service to one another ungrudgingly to the glory of God.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, every day is an opportunity to encounter you through different events that occur in our lives. Grant that we may have a personal encounter with you just like Simon and his companion, and through the intercession of St. Patrick, may we uniquely experience you in our daily activities and, through this experience, discover our purpose in life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily on the Second Sunday of Lent Year C, 16th March, 2025

Readings: Genesis 15:5-12.17-18; Ps.27, Phil. 3:17-4:1; Luke 9:28-36

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

HAVING A PERSONAL TRANSFIGURATIVE EXPERIENCE OF THE LORD 

Reflecting on the awesome nature of God as manifested in the things he created, the surprising ways he chooses to carry out his plans, the people he chooses, the place, and the things he uses in fulfilling his plans, they are just incomprehensible. This is evident in our readings today.

In the first reading, we heard how God chose Abram and, after making a difficult demand from him, had a covenant with him, saying: To your descendants, I give this land, from the wadi of Egypt to the Great River. For the Lord said to him look up to heaven and count the stars if you can. Such will be your descendants.’ Because Abram put his faith in the Lord, who counted this as making him justified. 

This covenant with God is the beginning of Abram's personal relationship with God. A covenant that brought about the filial relationship between God and humanity, as seen in the covenant at Sinai, which reached its peak in the new and eternal covenant which Jesus sealed in his own blood on the cross on Mount Calvary.

Abraham’s covenant with God may sound very strange to us, but this describes the ancient ways of making a treaty with God. Where an animal is divided into two while the contracting parties walk between the divided parts of the animals. A symbol of what we have in the eternal covenant of Christ in the Calvary where Christ was crucified between two thieves who represent the filthiness of humanity and Christ being the sanctifier.  

In all the covenants it is always God who takes the initiative, although the people will often break God’s covenants. But God has never abandoned us. For through his son Jesus, he has promised to be with us always even till the end of time. Hence, through this covenant, all of us are made to be sons and daughters of God, sharers of God’s inheritance and glory which was promised to Abraham and his descendants. 

This promise is what we see manifest in our Gospel passage today at the mountain of transfiguration, where Jesus chose three of his disciples, Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain; there, in their presence, he was transfigured. And a voice came from the cloud saying, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him

Therefore, the event of the transfiguration of the Lord reminds us of the revelation of Christ as the beloved Son of the Father, the one we are called to trust and listen to. An event that occurs to draw our attention to the inevitable event of the parousia (the second coming of Jesus on judgement day), which calls us to a life of faith and radical transformation. 

A transformation that brings about a new outfit that makes one a new person with a new life, a new mind and a new way of doing things. Thus, this transfiguration account tells us about the great dramatic revelation and encounter of God’s presence among the disciples of Jesus.  A truly spiritual personal experience of God, calling us for a possibility of divine encounter. 

Dear friends, like Abraham and the three disciples: Peter, James and John, we all have been called this Lenten season to journey with the Lord to the mountain of transfiguration in obedience to his will. Though, sometimes when we are called to follow the Lord, the path may seem to be uncertain and unknown to us, it may seem difficult and contrary to our own way of life, we must learn to remain faithful like Abraham, knowing that the devil is always ready to distract us, persuading and tempting us to remain in our old and ugly way of life and not to respond to the Lord’s calling.

 Therefore, we are called this Holy Season of Lent to reexamine our lives to know how we are responding to God’s call to holiness and faith. We are to discern carefully the will of God in our lives? Today, God is calling us to change our ugly way of life and follow him in whatever direction he wishes to lead us. 

Hence, St Paul tells us in the second reading that our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the saviour we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ and he will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body. But, the truth remains that we can change our friends, residence, car or physical appearance: hair, clothes, colour, and even gender, as some people do today. 

But if we do not have a personal transfigurative experience like the three disciples that will bring about a change of mind and heart towards loving God and our neighbours, we will remain the same, and the old experience of unfruitful life will perpetuate itself over and over again in our lives. Because everything absolutely changes when we change our minds for good. And that change can only be propelled by a strong personal encounter and experience of God in our lives.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, today you revealed the glory of your Son to humanity at the mountain of transfiguration, calling us to listen to him. As we listen to your words today, may you transform us into the image and likeness of your Son Jesus and fill our hearts with the Joy of your kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday celebration.

Homily For Saturday of the First Week of Lent Year C, 15th March, 2025

 

Readings: Deut.26:16-19, Ps.119, Matt. 5:43-48

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

A CALL FOR A SACRIFICIAL LIFE OF LOVE

Naturally, people desire to love and be loved, to relate and be in the company of those whom they love. Nobody enjoys being among those who detest them and cause them pain and sorrow.

That is why people naturally sacrifice for those whom they love to keep their friendship and companion. But it takes greater love and sacrifice to do good to people who detest us and cause us sorrow and pain since it is difficult and unnatural to sacrifice for such people.

This sacrificial life of love is what Jesus calls us to embrace in pursuit of the life of perfection. Little wonder he says in our Gospel passage: ‘If you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must, therefore, be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’

Here, Jesus emphasises that it is natural and universal for human beings to love those who love them. But what makes his disciples different from other people is the ability to love not just everyone, but to love their enemies and not take vengeance or bear grudges against one another. For by so doing, we will be imitating the perfection of God our heavenly Father, who shows equal love to all and calls us to a greater life of sacrificial love and deeper virtue towards perfection.

Hence, we are called in our first reading today to keep the laws of the Lord, to keep and observe them with all our heart and with all our soul so that we will be a people consecrated to the Lord and, by so doing, become perfect just as our heavenly Father is perfect.

Dear friends, we are called today, to a life of deeper virtue in love that leads to perfection. We are called to choose love over hatred and forgiveness over vengeance. For hatred breeds violence and other things that weaken the human soul, but love unites and heals.

The fact is that God desires peace for humanity, and this peace is what Jesus came to bring in the world, to restore the peace that God intended for all creation from the first day of creation. So today all of us are called to offer this peace to the world full of hatred, greed and violence. This we are called to accept and live out day by day in every way we can.

Therefore, friends, it’s time for us to stretch out the hands of friendship and peace to everyone, both friends and enemies alike, by investing more resources in things that bring about peace and friendship with one another rather than building a nuclear weapon that breeds more violence and hatred in the world. For by so doing the world will become more peaceful and loving.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, today we are called to live a life of perfection through sacrificial love. But the cross of the sacrificial life of love is so heavy; give us the grace to truly carry it by forgiving our enemies and striving towards the life of perfection that offers peace, mercy, compassion and love to distressed humanity. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Friday of the First Week of Lent Year C, 14th March, 2025

 

Readings:  Ezek. 18:21-28, Ps.130, Matt. 5:20-26

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

WHY WE MUST STRIVE TO REMAIN FAITHFUL WITH GOD

Most of the time, we often find it difficult to understand the way God operates, especially as regards his relationship with humanity. This is because humanity has failed to understand how God’s mercy and justice are applicable in our relationship with him and with one another. Little wonder, today, in our first reading, the prophet Ezekiel demonstrated to us how God’s mercy and justice will be a standard for judging humanity. 

Here, he made us know that those who are righteous if they fall into sin and wickedness, will be judged by those same sins they committed, and if found wanting, they will be condemned because of them. On the other hand, those who are wicked, if they repent from their wickedness and act righteously, will be pardoned and saved because of the righteousness and faith that they have shown through their repentance.

So when the upright man renounces his integrity to commit sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he has committed, for this is God’s justice in action. But when the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding, honest and holy, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die. This is God’s mercy in action. For we cannot separate God’s mercy and justice, because they are one and the same. The fact remains that, God is not interested in our past sinful ways, but in our present state of life. 

Hence, Jesus, in our Gospel passage today, calls us to a deeper virtue when he said to his disciples, If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.  That is, we must strive to deepen our virtue towards righteous deeds. We must become agents of peace and reconciliation. We must be a symbol of God’s mercy and justice in a world full of corruption and greed.

Dear friends, we are called today to experience this mercy and justice of God uniquely. Thus, we have to be vigilant always and strive to be righteous before God and man. Today, we have to make a fundamental choice to live a holy life and never to return to our sinful ways of life. 

We must struggle every day to grow in righteousness and never give up, no matter the situation we are going through. We should always reflect on what this justice and Mercy of God really mean in our lives as we strive every day to remain faithful to God’s commandment of love and peace.  

LET US PRAY, as we struggle every day towards holiness and perfection, may we be guided by the Holy Spirit and strive to remain on the path of righteousness and never to go back to our sinful and ugly ways of life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It’s Friday, wishing you God’s grace, mercy and favour.

Homily For Thursday of the First Week of Lent Year C, 13th, 2025

 

Readings:  Esther 14:1.3-4.11.13-14, Ps.138, Matt. 7:7-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

HOW TO BRING YOUR BURDENS OF LIFE  TO GOD IN PRAYERS

Reflecting on our daily experience of the events of life, especially the struggles, challenges, disappointments, cries and the difficult situations some people are passing through just to earn a living, gives the experience of the ugly situation in our country today. I can’t but recall, in our first reading today, Esther’s prayer to God, asking him for deliverance for his people, Israel, who were about to be annihilated as a nation by their enemies. 

In this passage, Esther prayed just before she was about to present herself before the King. She was ready to do anything for the sake of her people, and she asked God for strength, guidance and courage as she was about to face the greatest challenge of her life, risking her very life and position for what she was about to do. 

That is, to plead for the safety of her people before the King. She asked for the Lord to guide her and to give her the courage to face her enemies and to soften the heart of the King. And through her prayers, the Lord guided her to triumph against Haman and all those plots he had made against Israel.

This no doubt, shows us the power of prayer and seeking the will of God before doing anything or taking any difficult decision. Hence, Jesus, in our Gospel passage today, tells us to “ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him”. 

One may say I have been praying for God’s intervention in some ugly situations but it seems as if no answer has been given. The fact is that God answers all our prayers if we are patient with him. For he may not grant us what we want because, as a caring Father, he gives us what we truly need and not what we want.

Dear friends, do not carry your burdens alone bring them to God in prayer. Yes, we are full of energy, zeal and passion, ready to face the challenges and struggles of yet another day. But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: what are we doing concerning the present situation in our lives, our families, societies and country?  

It may seem as if all hope is gone, but the Lord is saying to us today, that we should ask, and it will be given to us; search, and we will find; knock, and the door will be opened to us. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Let us all not be afraid to seek the Lord and ask him for protection and guidance. This is how we should bring our burdens of life to God in prayers. 

But are we willing to trust the Lord and be patient with him? Are we willing to seek the Lord and to make the effort to find him and to follow him wherever he leads us? Do we have the courage and the love of God, as well as the faith and dedication like that of Queen Esther? Who today has shown us that if we trust the Lord and ask him for anything, he will surely provide for us, and we will have no cause to fear in our struggles of life. So, like Queen Esther let us ask for God’s strength, guidance and courage to face the daily challenges in our life.  Thus, what are the things we need from the Lord? It's time to present them before him. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are struggling with so many ugly situations in our lives, families, societies and the world at large, as we pour out our hearts to you in prayer, may you grant our heart desires and guide our ways today and always. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.