Homily For Wednesday Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 20th August, 2025

 

Readings: Judges 9:6-15; PS.21; Matt. 20:1-16

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DON’T GIVE UP EVEN AT THE LAST HOUR

Oftentimes, when we are passing through the dark moments of life, it seems as if all hope is gone. We put up all our energy and enthusiasm struggling and hoping for a better and brighter moment. Sometimes it seems as if that brighter moment won’t come especially with the present situation in our country today.

The truth is that our time of favour and success is not determined by how long or strenuously we have struggled, but by our disposition towards God's time of grace and generosity, for God alone decides how to reward us for our efforts. All we need is to be disposed to do his will at all times.

This is what the parable of the vineyard labourers in our Gospel passage today is teaching us, especially as regards our disposition towards embracing the kingdom of God. So from the Gospel, the landowner went beyond justice, for, motivated by compassion, he employed labourers at different times and at the end, he decided to pay them the same wages as agreed with those who were hired first, which they felt was bad for the landowner’s generosity towards those hired last.

Here the human mind suspects injustice, while the heart of God sees only an opportunity to be generous. This generosity of God calls us to be generous too; but out of envy we often selfishly consider ourselves more deserving than others.

However, we can identify three kinds of persons from this parable: First, those who are like the landowner who hires people to get a job done, but with sympathies for those to be employed. Secondly, the unemployed wait desperately in the marketplace, and thirdly, the labourers who consider themselves more deserving than others.

Now, we all need to ask ourselves, among these three groups where do I belong? This is important because the way workers and labourers are being treated in our societies these days is really appalling. Those who are meant to lead and shepherd the people are taking advantage of the people they are called to shepherd. Thus, we heard Jotham in our first reading today saying: Hear me, leaders of Shechem, that God may also hear you. For we must learn to do the right thing always.

Dear friends, today, the duties neglected by our leaders are going to be taken over by God himself, who is the Good Shepherd. He assures us that even though we are the least, the nobodies and most neglected in the eyes of the world, He will not forget us, for He has time and a plan for everyone and will continue to provide for our daily needs.

But warns the leaders that they should change their greedy and sinful ways, because when the Lord’s time comes, the last will be the first and the first, last. For in his kingdom, there is time and a plan for everyone with equal grace and equal status. So we must learn to wait on God’s time even at the last hour.

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, today you promised to take good care of your sheep yourself as you warn us to change from our sinful, greedy and corrupt ways of life. Help us to change and be more caring, loving and to always be disposed to doing your will. As we wait on your time Lord, may your favour follow us even to the last hour, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Tuesday, Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 19th August, 2025

 

Readings:  Judges 6:11-24; Ps. 85; Matt. 19:23-30

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

PASSING THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE 

Material possessions are gifts from God and he alone gives us the right to them. But what we possess is meant to help us grow in our relationship with God and neighbours, not to separate us from them, because if we are not careful, too much love for material possessions can be an obstacle on our way to God’s Kingdom. 

Little wonder Jesus in our Gospel passage today says:  “I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven”. When the disciples heard this they were astonished. And they said, “Who can be saved, then?” Jesus gazed at them and said, “For men this is impossible; for God everything is possible”.

Here, Jesus tells his disciples about the need to live a life of detachment. For they saw how the rich young man was so sad when Jesus demanded that he should share his possessions with others in order to acquire treasures in heaven by following him. 

Thus, there is a need for us to be pruned from our excess love for material possessions, because, for a camel to enter through a narrow gate, it must kneel in order for its load to be taken off. We, too, must learn how to be humble and detach ourselves from excess attachment to material things of this passing world. 

The fact remains that material possessions in themselves are good, for we would not survive for long without them, but excess attachment to them at the expense of eternal life is grade one suicide. No doubt, it is difficult to give out or share our possession, but the ones who give up everything are the ones who receives more in this life as well as in heaven, just like Gideon in our first reading, who when encountered the angel of the Lord said:  I beg you, do not go away until I come back. I will bring you my offering and set it down before you.’

Dear friends, why is it difficult for us to detach from the material things of this passing world? For detaching and sharing what we possess with others, especially the poor, is a sure way to finding life, peace and happiness. And Jesus is telling us that it will be difficult for us to enter his kingdom when we choose to attach ourselves to the riches of this passing world. 

Though material possessions are gifts from God and he alone gives us the right to have them, what we possess is not meant to separate us from God; rather, they should help us to grow in our relationship with God and neighbour. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are living in a world where materialism is the order of the day. Help us to learn how to live a life of detachment and keep us always from the sin of pride. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Monday Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 18th August, 2025

Readings: Judges 2:11-19; Ps. 106; Matt. 19:16-22

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DON’T GO AWAY SAD, LEARN TO SACRIFICE

The way people are so much attached to the things of this passing world with little or no attention to the things that edifice the soul is quite alarming. People can go to any length to acquire properties, treasures, fame, influence and power that will last from forth to tenth generations, without thinking of that which will lead to life eternal.

This is likely the mindset of the young man in our Gospel passage today, who claimed to have kept all the Commandments without realizing that he has actually abandoned the fundamental principle of the Commandments which have to do with loving and caring for others especially the poor.

So Jesus draws his attention to this fundamental principle of our human existence, when he said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me”. This really touched his ego and pride, so he suddenly became very sad and dejected, and went away sorrowfully.

This is why a proud and possessive person will find it difficult to remain faithful in their relationship with God and neighours just like the people of Israel in our first reading, who have constantly being disobedient and proud in their relationship with God and their neighbours, an ugly attitude that is leading them to destruction.

So the Lord in anger handed them over to villagers who plundered them; he delivered them to the enemies surrounding them. However, out of mercy God appointed judges for them, and rescued them from the hands of their plunderers. But they would not listen to their judges. They prostituted themselves to other gods, and bowed down before the idols.

Dear friends, today Jesus touched the very thing that this young rich man was not ready to give up, his money, his houses, his credentials, his power, pride and all his wealth and that was why he went away sad before the Lord. But, if we are honest enough, we will admit that we all have some things we would be very slow to let go if Jesus should make the same demand of us. Things we would not like God to ask us to give up.

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 house, or it might be a relationship, or our job, or our wealth or our secret immoral and sinful habits. Whatever one possesses 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.

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, Do have a great week ahead.

Homily For Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 17th August, 2025

 

Readings: Jer. 38:4-6.8-10; Ps.40; Heb. 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

WHEN THE WORD OF GOD BECOMES A SWORD OF DIVISION

Reflecting on the ugly situation in our societies today especially the hostility, brutality, persecution and the influential power of the things of this world that we face everyday. We really need to think twice about our faith as Christians, whether we are actually ready to live out our faith in the midst of these ugly situations. 

The fact remains that, if we are really willing to live out our Christian faith and obligations, then we need to make a radical decision towards expressing our faith in a personal and radical way. For these days, it is not enough to say am a Christian, we must convincingly and radically practice our faith by following the example of our Lord Jesus who made us to know that the word of God is a fire of truth and a sword of division.

Little wonder Jesus in our Gospel passage today, takes his discourse on discipleship to a radical and difficult level when he said: I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already. Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? 

No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three; the father divided against the son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law’. 

Here, Jesus does not directly intend to cause tensions and divisions in family life, but he wants us to accept the consequences that comes with the truth of the Gospel teaching which comes as a fire and a sword. This is evident when it comes to living out the Gospel message in a radical way, especially in a situation where our family values have been thrown out of caution as a result of secularism, individualism and excess desires for worldly pleasures and possessions, thereby neglecting the things that lead us to God. 

So, these hard words of Jesus can only be understood in the light of our life experience, because there are moments when we have to make radical and difficult choices as disciples of Jesus. These moments may wield the sword of division or separation among those people and things which are so dear to us. 

This is so because, the Word of God is a fire of truth and a sword of division which purifies and separate us from the ugly situations and sinful things of this passing world that often separate us from God.

However, in the Gospel, Jesus does not endorse we engaging in armed conflict, but he warns that we have to struggle to put him first, before family ties, knowing that divisions will surely occur as people have to decide to be for God or against God, to be united with God or be separated, to say yes to God or no to God, to accept the word of truth or to reject it. 

Hence, he states that the cost of discipleship extends to a point of one even losing his life. Because, following Jesus demands the sacrifice of all that one has. And none of us can become his true disciple if we do not give up our excess desire for worldly pleasures and possession, and pay our unreserved loyalty and allegiance to God over all other competing loyalties in our lives including family, self-interest, and possessions. 

Little wonder we are advised in our second reading today to throw off everything that hinders us, especially those sins that we clings so easily, and keep running steadily in the race we have started, while looking to Jesus as the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Let us think of the way he stood such opposition from sinners on the cross, so that we will not give up or give in to fears. Because, in the fight against sin, we have not yet resisted to the point of shedding our blood. 

This is what we heard in the life of prophet Jeremiah in our first reading today. For Jeremiah was a man who loved his people and stood for the truth and conversion of his people. He was the conscience and spokes person for the weak in his society. For this reason he was accused of being a troublemaker and lived with constant threats to his life. 

That is why we heard them saying: Let Jeremiah be put to death: he is unquestionably disheartening the remaining soldiers in the city, and all the people too. So they threw him into a water cistern. Thanks to Ebed-melech who God used to save him.

 

Dear friends, what is your attitude towards the Word of God? How has the Word of God purified your soul from the ugly attitudes of the sinful things of this passing world? Are you passing through the pains of the sword of division? Are you a victim of truth like Jeremiah? 

Are you in a position like Ebed-melech to save those who are victims of truth. Are you running away from these fire of truth and sword of division? Are you experiencing rejection and hostility in your family, societies, friends and colleagues as a result of your Words of truth?

Today we are called to make a radical decision to sincerely and faithfully live out our Christian faith and morals. We are called to embrace the sword of division that comes from the truth of the Gospel. We are called to let the fire of God’s word purify our hearts and souls. 

But how much are we willing to let go for the sake of our faith in God? Why are we finding it difficult to follow Jesus? What is that habitual sinful desires and possessions that are holding us from making this radical decision today? It is time to come to God with all our hearts, for tomorrow maybe too late.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, the excess desire for the pleasurable things of this passing world have weakened our hearts towards you. As we embrace your Word as fire of truth and sword of division, give us courage and grace to let go of our ugly sinful desires and attitudes, so as to hold firm in our faith despite losing people and things that are so dear to us. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful Sunday celebration.

Homily For Saturday Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 16th August, 2025

Readings: Jos. 24:14-29; Ps. 16; Matt. 19:13-15

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHOM HAVE YOU CHOSE TO SERVE: THE LIVING GOD OR PEOPLE AND THINGS THAT HAVE MADE THEMSELVES GOD?

What determines our attitude and behaviour in life is our fundamental option, which has to do with our choice for or against God. This is a choice we make consciously or unconsciously that guides and shape our lives.

Knowing the importance of this choice, Joshua in our first reading had to make this option for himself and his family and also encouraging others to do the same when he said to the people of Israel "choose this day whom you will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord".

The choice for God is a choice for love, and a life of love is a sacrificial life neither easy nor comfortable. A kind of choice made by the people of Israel who said to Joshua: we have no intention of deserting the Lord and serving other gods! Was it not the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors out of the land of Egypt, the house of slavery, who worked those great wonders before our eyes and preserved us all along the way we travelled and among all the peoples through whom we journeyed? What is more, the Lord drove all those peoples out before us, as well as the Amorites who used to live in this country. We too will serve the Lord, for he is our God.’

What a great Choice and lesson for us. This tells us that we need to learn how to make a fundamental choice for God above all other things. This is important because most people are making wrong choices as a result of their too much attachment to the passing things of this world.

Most people have made gods out of the material things of this world. And they want other people to join them to worship these material gods. For this reason most people are finding it difficult to listen to what God is saying to them, because the gods of the things of this passing world are looking very captivating but behind them are destruction and disaster.

Dear friends, today we are required to chose whom we will serve: the living God or the gods of the things of this passing world. Let us chose the living God by identifying ourselves with Christ who is full of love, goodness and holiness and so build a good relationship with others. We must learn to sacrifice in humility just like Jesus who loves little children and care about them.

Little wonder Jesus said in our Gospel passage today: ‘Let the little children alone, and do not stop them coming to me; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’ So, Jesus appreciate it when in childlike humility we make the fundamental option to serve God and to sacrifice for the good of others, for we are called to taste and see that the Lord is good.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are called today to choose whom we will serve. As we make this fundamental option to serve you, help us to live by this option all the days of our lives. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It's another weekend, may the Holy Spirit guide and direct our activities.

Homily For Friday Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 15th August, 2025. Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 

Readings: Rev. 11:19;12:1-6.10, Ps. 45, 1Cor. 15:20-27, Luke 1:39-56

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THERE IS HOPE FOR HUMANITY AS SEEN IN THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY

With ugly events we hear and experience in our world today there is no doubt in my mind that the world is a battlefield between the forces of life and death, good and evil. And forces of death and evil seem to be having the upper hand as we can see in cases of killings, hatred, betrayals, greed, social and economic injustice all over the world.

Thus, there is this constant fear of what becomes of us when we die. Where are we going when we die? Is death the end of life? Is there another life after death?

The answer to these questions is found in today’s solemnity: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The solemnity where we celebrate the mystery of the assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary body and soul into heaven. An event which shows the triumph of life over death and good over evil.

For since Christ’s divine body did not undergo corruption, it follows that his mother’s body, which forever contains a cell component of his Divinity would not be allowed to experience corruption, but would be taken into heaven and be reunited with Christ. For as we know, a particle of God, is God entirety. And the Psalmist says: that you will not leave my soul among the dead, nor let your Holy one know decay (Ps. 16.10).

So, according to the tradition of the Orthodox Church regarding the Assumption of Mary, it was said in a writing attributed to Joseph of Arimathea, that when Mary was about to die, all the Apostles except Thomas were miraculously transported to Jerusalem to witness her death.

However, Thomas who was in India, witnessed the assumption of Mary into heaven and he received the girdle of Mary as a proof. So, when Thomas arrived on the third day after burial, he narrated the story to the other apostles, they were skeptical. So, they opened the grave of Mary and found it empty and they glorified God. This of course, becomes part of the historical revelations among the Apostle and the early Church.

Thus, on 1 November, 1950, Pope Pius XII proclaimed as Dogma that the Virgin Mary “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory”. This truth of faith as known by Tradition, was affirmed by the Fathers of the Church, and was an important aspect in the veneration of the Mother of Christ.

This Dogma appears as an act of praise and exaltation of God’s grace on the life of the Blessed Virgin. It also emerges for the honour of her Son Jesus and for the joy and exultation of the entire Church.

Little wonder, our readings today help us to understand better this mystery. For in our first reading we heard of the revelation of the victorious power of God, who through a woman has overcome the evil that threatened to destroy humanity. Telling us that the salvation, victory, power and the kingdom have now been won for us by our God, for the authority of his Christ has come.

And St. Paul in our second reading made us to know that Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. For death came through one man and in the same way the resurrection of the dead has come through one man. Just as all men die in Adam, so all men will be brought to life in Christ.

Meanwhile, in our Gospel passage, we heard Mary’s glorification of God’s power and victory, for God through Christ has remembered his mercy for humanity as he had promised to Abraham and all his descendants for ever.

Therefore, through this Mary’s Assumption into Heaven, we understand better that even though our daily lives may be marked by trials, persecutions and difficulties, our death is not the end, but the entrance into life that knows no death for we are made to share in God’s Heavenly Kingdom.

So, the Assumption reminds us that Mary’s life, like that of every Christian, is a journey of following, following Jesus, a journey that has a very precise destination, a future already marked out, for the definite victory over sin and death, in order for us to be in full communion with God.

Dear friends, how can this solemnity of the Assumption of Mary help us on our journey towards our heavenly kingdom? What message is God passing to us in this solemnity? In this solemnity of Assumption, we find the message of faith and hope, that in God there is room for humanity.

So, we can say God is humanity’s true home and in us there is also room for God. Hence, Pope Benedict XVI says that One thing is certain, that is, our hope in God: that God expects us, God waits for us, we do not go out into a void, we are expected.

God is expecting humanity, for as we pass to the other side of life, we will find the goodness of our Blessed Mother, we will find our loved ones, we will find eternal Love Christ our Saviour. For he is waiting for us, since we are made to share in his glory. And this is our greatest joy and the great hope that is born from this solemnity.

This reality makes us victorious over death and the evil of this world. Therefore, we should not be afraid for God has made us victorious over sin and death in order to share in Christ glory. Let us then entrust our Christian journey to Mary's Motherly intercession since she is the consolation and hope of the people still on this journey of faith.

LET US PRAY, Heavenly Father, we thank you, for knowing how fragile our lives are in this passing world, you gave us the message of faith and hope through the mystery of the Assumption of Mary. As we celebrate this mystery, may we be filled with the joy of your kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Homily For Thursday Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 14th August, 2025. The Memorial of St Maximilian Kolbe

 

Readings: Jos. 3:7-10.11 .13-17; Ps.114; Matt. 18:21-19:1

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LEARN TO FORGIVE OTHERS FROM YOUR HEART

In the prayer our Lord Jesus gave us as a pattern of all prayers and as a fundamental principle of Christian life, there is a portion that point out something so important. This portion says “forgive us our trespasses as we for give those who trespassed against us” (Matt.6:12).

By this pray we are making a covenant and commitment that will be a standard by which we are going to be judged as regards our relationship with others and with God. But often times we are not conscious of this principles especially when we have to face the difficult moment of forgiving a grievous offense.

Thus, Peter one of the disciples of Jesus being conscious of this fact, asked Jesus in our Gospel passage today saying: ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy times seven. And he practicalized his answer with an example of a servant who owed his master a great debt that he and his generation cannot pay. But when he pleads for mercy, the master forgave him all the debts.

However, this same servant found a fellow servant who owed him as little as one hundred denarii, he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him and even when he pleaded for mercy, instead of forgiving him, he puts him in prison according to the norms of the law until he had paid his debt.

This unforgiven servant did to his fellow servant what the master could have done to him, but did not. When the master heard how he treated his fellow servant, he said to him: “You wicked servant! I have forgiven you all your debt because you appealed to me. Were you not bound then to have pity on your fellow-servant just as I had pity on you?

And, angry, the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debts.” Jesus then said, this is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’ For God will apply the principle he has given us in our Lord’s Prayer, which will automatically put us where we properly belongs based on how we have related with other.

In this story, we see the extreme estimate of the debt the servant owed his master, ten thousand talents, even if him and his family had to work their whole life, they would never have been able to pay that debt. Because a denarius is a day's wage for a common workingman. While a talent is 6,000 denarii, or 20 years of daily wages. That means he would need to work 6,000 days to earn one talent and we are talking about ten thousand talents.

So, that’s a huge amount compared to hundred denarii his fellow servant owed him, in fact, there was no comparison between the two debtors at all. However, this will exposed to us the ugly attitude of unforgiveness and also help us to understand that our debt before God is so huge and countless for we cannot be able to pay them but he still forgive us.

This is what we see in our first reading today, for after the death of Moses, God assured his people of his mercy and protection when he said to Joshua, ‘This very day I will begin to make you a great man in the eyes of all Israel, to let them be sure that I am going to be with you even as I was with Moses.

So, let us learn from the life of St. Maximilian Kolbe, whose memorial we celebrate today, for he heroically offered his life in place of another man who had been selected for execution, seeing how the man was filled with despair over the welfare of his wife and children.

Maximilian, being a priest, chose to die in place of this man so that he could be united once again with his family. What a great lesson and example for us to value the gift of love that God has given to humanity in the sacramental union of marriage.

Dear friends, Are there people we have vowed not to forgive? Have people hurt us so much that we can’t forgive them? Have we offended people and cannot be humble enough to ask for their forgiveness? Do we think that our sins are so huge for God to forgive?

Are we finding it difficult to forgive those who have offended us? There is no doubt that forgiven a grievous offense can be very difficult, but when this is done, it is like recovery a lost treasure that contains: joy, peace, freedom and healing. And today Jesus is asking us to learn how to forgive others always and unconditionally from our hearts, so that God will also forgive us always and unconditionally.

Therefore, we must never refuse to forgive or reject an offer of reconciliation in our relationship with God and with our fellow human beings and if this becomes difficult, bring it to Jesus in prayer as you contemplate his patience and humility and mercy on the cross for us.

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, today you have made us to realize how unlimited you mercy is, as you exposed how huge our debts are in comparison with the little debts of forgiveness others owe us. As we make it a habit to forgive from the debt of our hearts all those who have offended us, may we discover and experience the hidden treasures that forgiveness brings. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a grace filled day.