Homily For Thursday Sixth Week of Easter Year C, The Solemnity of Ascension. 29th May, 2025

 

Readings: Acts1:1-11; Ps. 47; Eph. 1:17-23; Luke 24:46-53

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERIES OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD 

The Joy of the risen Lord has filled the hearts of his disciples as they experienced his physical presence for the past forty days after his death and resurrection. So on the occasion of today, the Lord Jesus, in the presence of his disciples, physically ascended into heaven as they watched him taken away in the cloud to return to his heavenly Throne, triumphant and victorious.

This, no doubt was a moment of great hope for them as they wished to be with him for eternity. However, they have a mission to accomplish; they are to bear witness to the events testify about it on their missions and pass it down as a true hope for humanity.

Thus, the solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is a mystery that reminds us of that great moment of hope when the Lord triumphs victoriously and is no longer physically present among his disciples and followers, as they can no longer directly see him or touch him as they had been during all the while he was physically present with them. 

But this does not mean that the Lord has abandoned or left his disciples; rather, he has gone to fulfil his promise of preparing a place for his faithful disciples and will also send a great Helper to assist them.

Therefore, the feast of the Ascension of the Lord does not mean that Jesus has departed to some place far from people and from the world. Rather it means that he no longer belongs to the world conditioned by the life of space and time, corruption and death, as he now belongs entirely to God as the eternal Son, who has purified the filthiness of humanity. 

Hence, the Lord raised us into God’s presence by taking with him our flesh and blood in its transfigured form and presenting humanity to God the Father. This is the Mystery of the ascension we are celebrating today. It is a thing of great hope and joy for all who believe in him. It is the mystery of this great joy and hope that we celebrate today. An event that shows that humanity has been introduced into the very life of God. 

Hence, from the readings of today, we have the details of this great event and the last instructions of Jesus to his disciples. In the first reading, before the Ascension, Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth. As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight.’ 

In the Gospel passage, Jesus instructs his disciples, saying; you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this. 

Now lifting up his hands he blessed them, and he withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven. In addition, St. Paul, in the second reading, says: ‘He has put all things under his feet and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation’.

Dear friends, the occasion of the Ascension of the Lord is a confirmation of the reality of heaven, which reminds us that God has always been faithful and loving as he fulfils his covenants and promises to humanity. It reminds us of our mission to evangelize the world, to give hope to humanity by letting them know that human hope and life are beyond the boundaries of this passing world.  

It reminds us that God will always be with us no matter what we are going through in this world, for he will always provide for us and care for us at all times. Hence, we must have faith in him no matter how challenging and difficult the situation in our lives may be; we must have hope and trust in God that, in the end, everything will be fine. 

Let us hold on to the Lord for this occasion is indeed a great time for us to recall the hope that we found in Jesus' triumphant victory over evil, sin and condemnation. Let us celebrate the greatest hope that God has given to humanity by letting us share in the very Life of the Trinity. 

The hope is that humanity will one day be united body and soul with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus. A confirmation of the reality of heaven, for this is the central message of the event and mystery of the Ascension that gives great joy and hope to all who believe, which, as disciples, we are called to bear witness to the world. 

Therefore, let us share this great hope with the people of the world by letting the light of Christ in us illuminate the darkness and ignorance in the world. Let us share this hope through our words, actions and deeds. Let our presence bring hope and encouragement, not hatred and division. Let our actions bring healing and succour in hopeless situations. Let our deeds inspire humanity to come to know God and embrace the victory Jesus has won for us. 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, let this solemnity of the Lord’s Ascension, enkindle in us the passion to love you more dearly and to spread in the world the Joy and hope we have found in Jesus. Let this Joy and hope bring healing, succour, strength and courage that will help us to overcome the ugly and hopeless situations in our lives, families, societies and the world at large. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Wednesday Sixth Week of Easter Year C, 28th May, 2025

 

Readings: Acts 17:15.22-18:1; Ps.148; John 16:12-15

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE TIME OF IGNORANCE IS OVER, LET US EMBRACE THE HOLY SPIRIT OF TRUTH

One of the Spiritual works of Mercy is instructing the ignorant, and this is one of the most difficult tasks to do as a Christian, especially when it comes to dealing with people who are presumed to be learned. This kind of difficulty is what St. Paul has to face with the people of Athens in our first reading today.

So Paul, finding himself in the most learned city in the world of his time, needed to preach the Good News of God to them. But the theme for his message has to be something that will interest his audience.

Thus, he started by clearing their ignorance regarding what he knew they were searching for. He said to them: “I have seen for myself how extremely scrupulous you are in all religious matters, because I noticed, as I strolled round admiring your sacred monuments, that you had an altar inscribed: To An Unknown God. Well, the God whom I proclaim is, in fact, the one whom you already worship without knowing it.”

In this passage, St. Paul claims that this unknown God is none other than God the Creator. He gave us evidence of the ignorance of pagan worship and made it clear that the object of true worship is the one Creator God. He showed us the proper relationship between humanity and God as he lets us know that the time of ignorance is now over. Also, Paul speaks of God’s creative act of humanity; from a single person, Adam, he made every race of people,e, and in h,im, we live and move and exist.

Therefore, we are God’s offspring, his true image in the world. Thus any image made by human skill and creativity will possibly be anything other than a distortion of the image of the one, true God. And so Paul warns us from involving in any form of idol worship as he calls for total repentance because God will no longer overlook our ignorance.

This is evident in our Gospel passage today, when Jesus said: ‘I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now. But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come.’

Dear friends, there are many idols that enslave us in this world, and when we are suddenly deprived of them, we end up acting irrationally and selfish, even to the point of hurting others so that we may protect and justify ourselves.

But the truth is that the time of ignorance is over, for today we have before us the Spirit of truth. We can no longer pretend to be ignorant of God’s instructions. Therefore, let us repent from our sinful ways of life and embrace the Spirit of truth who will clear our ignorance.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are ignorant of so many things about you and the world we live in, grant that the Holy Spirit of truth, will continue to teach us about you and the faith we have found in our Son Jesus as he unveils the darkness of lies and falsehood in our world. He who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Tuesday Sixth Week of Easter Year C, 27th May, 2025. Children’s Day

 

Readings: Acts 16:22-34; Ps.138;  John 16:5-11

Rev  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE WORLD

As Jesus continues with his teaching on the Person of the Holy Spirit, whom he called the Counsellor, Jesus said to his disciples in our Gospel passage, ‘I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement.’

The focal point here is the role of the Holy Spirit in the world. This is because Jesus knows that with the rejection of his teaching by the people of the world, the disciples need an advocate who will surely prove to the world how wrong they are in rejecting and killing him. 

Hence, What seemed like abandonment to the disciples brought about the message of hope, assuring them that the Holy Spirit would show the world how wrong she was about sin and about judgment. That is, the Spirit will convict and persuade the people of the world of their sinful condition which they hold so tight because they were wrong for not believing in Jesus. 

Thus the Holy Spirit will clearly show to the world the righteousness of Jesus and his claims to come from God in order to bring the Word of God anew to the world. The Holy Spirit will reveal the meaning of Christ’s death as the condemnation of all that is evil in the world and victory over the devil, the prince of this world. This is so evident in our first reading, where we heard about the victory of Paul and Silas, who were praying and singing God’s praises in the prison when the prison doors were opened. 

Dear friends, as we struggle with the ugly situation in the world, we are reminded that the Holy Spirit dwells in us as our Counsellor, all we need to do is to turn towards him with hope and courage, knowing that God has called us to be his people and he will always be faithful to his promises. And if we trust in him, we shall not be disappointed, for in him alone is our sure hope of assistance during this difficult moment of our lives. 

Therefore, let us open our hearts to the Holy Spirit and let him be the source of hope, light and inspiration for us especially in this difficult moment of fears of uncertainties in our hearts and minds, which have enslaved and prevented us from realizing what our lives truly mean and what we represent in this world. 

Let us know that God has not and will not abandon us in the ugly situation we have found ourselves in this passing world, for he has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit, whose work is to ensure our victory and prove to this sinful world how wrong they are in rejecting and persecuting Jesus and the work of redemption which he has established.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, the ugly situation in our world is really shaking the faith of your children; grant, we pray that we may always find delight in the indwelling of your Holy Spirit and so courageously conquer our fears and worries just like Paul and Silas. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. HAPPY CHILDREN’S YOU. May God bless and favour all our children.

Homily For Monday Sixth Week of Easter Year C, 26th May, 2025. The Memorial of St Philip Neri

 

Readings: Acts 16:11-15; Ps.149;  John 15:26-16:4

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

MAY THE HOLY SPIRIT GUIDE US TO THE PATHS OF TRUTH

In our societies today, many false influential powers have great effect on our lives coming from various sources under the guise of good but are, in fact, leading us astray. 

So, there is a need for us to examine these influences and today, in our Gospel passage, Jesus said to his disciples: when the Advocate comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will be my witness. And you, too, will be witnesses because you have been with me from the outset. ‘I have told you all this that your faith may not be shaken.

Thus, the Holy Spirit will lead us to learn how to distinguish clearly where and in whom dwells the Spirit of truth from the Spirit of falsehood. As long as we are of God and in Christ, we have nothing to fear for we do not belong any more to this present world, full of sin, hatred, greed, corruption, deceit and violence. 

Every day, many false prophets and teachers are increasing and deceiving the people. May God guide us against embracing, too readily, any doctrine proposed to us without due consideration from any teacher who may pretend to have a divine inspiration but does not.

Dear friends, we must be very wise for many false prophets are operating under the power of the devil. Today Jesus is promising us the Spirit of truth that will give us a special sign for distinguishing true doctrine and true teachers from the false ones. 

Therefore, let us constantly ask the Holy Spirit to give us the grace of discernment in order to distinguish between good and false prophets and teachers. Let us also be true Christians in our way of life, words and deeds. Let us learn to put our trust in God who has promised to keep us from falling away from the true faith we have found in His Son Jesus.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you promised to send us the Spirit of truth, grant we pray that through the intercession of St Philip Neri, we will always stand and witness to the truth we have found in Jesus against all the false influential prophets and teachers in our society today, he who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. Have a fruitful week.

Homily For Sixth Sunday of Easter Year C, 25th May, 2025

 

Readings: Acts. 15:1-2.22-29; Ps.67; Rev. 21:10-14.22-23; John 14:23-29

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE PEACE THE WORLD CAN NOT GIVE IS THE GIFT THE LORD HAS GIVEN TO US

As we gather together today to celebrate the sixth Sunday of the Holy season of Easter, with the Solemnity of the Ascension coming up on Thursday within the week, our attention is being drawn more to the departure of Jesus, who has been with his disciples.

So, in anticipation of the Solemnity of the Pentecost coming very soon, the readings of today draw our attention to the last and very important words of departure from Jesus to his disciples.

These departing words can be summarized in two words which are Love and peace. This, of course, followed the promise of the Holy Spirit,t who will teach and remind us of everything he has taught us.

This promise is very necessary because the time for Jesus to accomplish his mission had drawn near, and he had taught his disciples a lot of things which they had not yet fully understood, and there was more to teach them.

So, as Jesus continues to teach the disciples he promised them the indwelling of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will take up the task to inspire them and deepen their understanding of the words and actions of God the Father.

However, Jesus emphasized that the condition for obtaining all that he has promised is the love we express to God and our neighbours and for this reason, he offers us his peace when he said in our Gospel passage today: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”

Here, the word Peace from the Hebrew word shalom means more than an absence of conflict or disturbance or war. Rather, it signifies a state of complete integration of unity between God and Man, between man and neighbours, and also between man and his environment.

It thus implies everything that Jesus came to achieve in this world. It is the legacy of his life, death and resurrection. Little wonder these words of Jesus are repeated at every Eucharistic celebration, where Jesus offers us his peace again and again.

There is no doubt that this peace is really lacking in our societies today. This is clear with the ugly events we hear and experience daily, especially the cases of killings, hatred, betrayals, greed, social and economic injustice, bloodshed, kidnapping, banditry and the massacre of innocent people all over the globe.

This, of course, is a clear sign that humanity has lost peace, that great treasure which she enjoys in the presence of God before the fall of man. But how can we regain this great treasure? Jesus made it clear that love is the only way to obtain this peace

Hence, he talks about the sacrificial love that comes from the heart and soul of one who is rooted in the life of the Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Thus, Jesus speaks about the power of love, that life-giving passion that transforms and unites us with God and our neighbours.

It is this love that brings the peace that humanity is seeking, as demonstrated in our first reading among the apostles and also prophesied in our second reading today, pointing towards the Holy City of Jerusalem and its future glory as the home of peace.

But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: Have we really embraced love to have peace in our lives? Do we experience this love and peace at the Eucharistic banquet every time we participate in the Holy Mass? Have I embraced the sacrificial love of Jesus so as to become an instrument of peace to my neighbour, my family and the society at large?

Have I embraced love to the point of sacrificing my possessions, my ambition and my life for the sake of peace? Have I sacrificially embraced love so as to forgive those who offended me and seek reconciliation for the sake of peace?

Dear friends, today we are called to come back to the source of love, God himself, who teaches us that love is an attitude that seeks the good of others despite how we feel about them. For love teaches us to be merciful, just as our Father in heaven is merciful.

Love is a sacrificial attitude, an attitude that forgives, an attitude that accommodates, perseveres, preserves, heals and builds up when everything has failed This is the kind of attitude the world needs now, the attitude that comes from pure love of God and our neighbours and brings peace to our lives, our families, societies and the world at large.

LET US PRAY: Almighty ever-living God, there are lots of things we need to know and understand about the faith we have found in you, may the Holy Spirt guide our way to embrace love and peace and always teach us what to do, how to do it, when to do it and grace do it properly. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It's Sunday, may the Holy Spirit guide and bless all your efforts.

Homily For Saturday Fifth Week of Easter Year C, 24th May, 2025

 

Readings: Acts 16:1-10; Ps.100; John 15:18-21

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHY DID THE WORLD HATE CHRISTIANS?

The word ‘Hate’ is often used to express a negative feeling towards something or someone who we presumed to pose some threat to us or something related to us. Meanwhile, hatred, as we know, is the direct opposite of love. There is no doubt that threat breeds fear, insecurity and anger, which brings about the negative feeling we call hatred.

This definition is very important in order to understand the teaching of Jesus in our Gospel passage today when he said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me before you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you do not belong to the world, because my choice withdrew you from the world, therefore the world hates you.”

Here, Jesus, who has been talking to his disciples about love and commanding them to love one another, is today warning and telling them that there is no guarantee that they will be loved in return by the people of the world. He used himself as an example of how they may be treated, that if the world hated and persecuted him so badly, his disciples should expect to be treated the same way. But why did the worldly-minded people hate and persecute Jesus and his disciples?

This is because the presence and words of Jesus bring great light and judgment to the darkness of this world, and the people of the world love darkness rather than the Light since their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

So the presence of Jesus, the light of the world, threatens the people of the world, and this breeds fear, insecurity and anger, which brings about negative feelings of hatred for Jesus and those who associate with him.

More so, it is important to note that, when Jesus talks about the “world” as we have it in the Gospel passage, he is not referring to the physical world but the people who are so attached to the things of this world. People who have made the things of this passing world their God and have come to trust in their ability to exploit others and acquire the earth as their own.

They try very hard to cover their sin and silence the voice of conscience accusing them of their sins. But here are Christians constantly reminding them of their sins as they strive to live a life of holiness, which, of course, stirs up again all those thoughts and feelings of guilt which they wished to silence. Hence, this threat breeds fear, insecurity and anger that gives birth to hatred of Christians by worldly-minded people.

Dear friends, today we are called to bear witness even in the face of hatred and hostility. Despite the world’s hatred, we should never respond with retaliation or hatred. Yes, there may be times to ask God to judge the wicked.

There may be times to shake the dust off our feet and move on; of course, we have to, knowing that we can do so through the Spirit of truth dwelling in us. For through our Baptism, we have received the Holy Spirit in us, which helps us strive to live a life of love and righteousness even in the midst of persecutions and hatred.

LET US PRAY: Almighty and eternal God, who through the regenerating power of Baptism have been pleased to confer on us the heavenly life, grant us, we pray, the grace to bear authentic witness of your love and peace in the world full of hatred and strive. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a lovely and peaceful weekend.

Homily For Friday Fifth Week of Easter Year C, 23rd May, 2025

 

Readings: Acts 15:22-31; Ps.57; John 15:12-17

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU

Love is a gift from God to mankind, it is like the stream water, so innocent and pure. True love is not hidden; it radiates from the innermost being of a person who experiences it. Most of the problems in our families, societies and the world at large can be traced to one major challenge, which is the absence of sincere love for one another, as most families today exist by grace and not by love. Imagine how wonderful the world would have been if we all loved one another.

Little wonder, Jesus, knowing how important love is for the well-being of humanity, made it the centre of all his teachings. He presents the love of God and the love of neighbour as the summary of all the commandments. And in our Gospel passage today, he says: “This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you.”

So, as Jesus continues his teaching on love, today we heard more about the commandments of loving one another. There is no doubt that we all have experienced God’s love and favour in one way or another. God has done so much for us, giving us everything that we need, and He has shown us all this wonderful love so that we, too, may know what it truly means to love.

Today, Jesus is commanding us to also love one another in the same way that God has loved us, and this is exemplified by the Apostles in the decision they made concerning how the gentile believers should be treated as we have it in our first reading today.

Dear friends, love is what the Lord has offered us, love is what he is commanding us to offer one another. I know that it is not easy to bear the sacrificial nature of love, but that is what the world needs now. So let us be genuine with our actions and love towards one another.

Let us not just think about ourselves and our selfish desires, but consider the needs of others. Loving one another requires sacrifice, sacrifice of our comfort, resources, talent, gifts and pride. Loving one another requires forgiveness, mercy, care and humility.

How I wish that humanity could invest the amount of energy, time and resources used in producing heavy personnel and ammunitions of war into ensuring love and unity in our dealings with one another, believe me, we will not only be fulfilling the first and greatest commandments of God, but we will be building a happy family, a peaceful community and one united humanity build on love.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we make efforts to love one another, grant us the grace to experience true love in our lives, families, communities and the world at large. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.