Homily For Tuesday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 23rd September, 2025. The Memorial of St. Pio of Pietrelcina

 

Readings: Ezra 6:7-8.12.14-20; Ps.122; Luke 8:19-21

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DOING THE WILL OF GOD IS THE ONLY WAY TO BELONG TO THE TRUE FAMILY OF JESUS

One of the psychological and spiritual needs of the human person is the sense of belonging, this need is just like the need for food, clothes and shelter. The feeling of belonging is fundamental to our sense of happiness and well-being, for it gives value to life and helps us in coping with some painful emotions as it improves our motivation. Hence, we often want to belong and identify with one another, with our friends and families, with our culture and from one association and group to another.

However, one of the common and safest place to belong is our families, especially when it is rooted in the family of God. So today in our Gospel passage, Jesus speaks about belonging to his family and his relationship with members of his family. When he was told that his mother and brothers were standing outside and wanted to see him. He said: My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.’

Here, Jesus speaks of two ways the people around him could be identified as members of his family. Firstly, he talks about those who belong to the family of his birth, that is, his mother, father and relations. Then his other family which is made up of those who do the will of God.

This family, he says, is his true family, where doing the will of God is the only way of belonging to this family. This is not to say that Jesus is rejecting his biological family; to do so would contradict his own teaching about loving one's parents and loving one's neighbours. However, Jesus is using this opportunity to emphasise that our relationship with God is more important and should be based on our total commitment to doing the will of God through him.

Surprisingly, Mary the mother of Jesus belongs to both sides of the family, for she gave birth to Jesus and also was the first to do the will of God when she said, “Let it be done unto me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). For this reason she is the first disciple of Jesus and a model for all Christians.

Thus, to be a Christian or a disciple is to enter into the family of Jesus and embrace a new relationship with God and with one another and this is the most important place to belong. All other bonds, including those of blood, should be considered secondary. Because, belonging to God is fundamental to our basic relationships, before all human relations.

For we belong first to God before belonging to our families, after which we all go back to God where we ultimately belong, which will be determined by how we have done the will of God here on earth. And our first reading we heard how the chosen people of God through the help of King Cyrus and Darius. Rebuild the Temple that was destroyed out of disobedience. And now they came back as one family to joyfully dedicate this Temple of God.

Dear friends, where do we ultimately and truly belong? Do you belong to the true family of Jesus? As Christians, we claim to belong to God, do our attitudes and decisions show that we truly belong to God? Do we not often commit ourselves to things contrary to the faith we professed in God?

So, today we are made to know that doing the will of God is the ultimate way of belonging to the true family of Jesus. Therefore, we are called to do the will of God always in order to truly belong to that true family of Jesus where love of God and love of neighbour unite us together.

This is what we see in the life of St. Pio, whose memorial we celebrate today. He is a good example of a disciple who belongs to the family of God. For he understood the sacrificial nature of doing the will of God through the mission of Christ and lived by it. Many came to believe in God through him and many were strengthened in their faith through his works and piety.

Though St. Pio experienced great difficulties in the course of his mission, this was so serious that they almost had his faculty of hearing confessions taken from him because of his spiritual experiences and grace.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we truly belong to you. Give us the grace to always do your will, and as we carry out your activities today, grant success to the works of our hands, through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Monday, Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 22nd September 2025

 

Reading: Ezra 1:1-6; Ps. 126; Luke 8:16-18

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

YOU ARE A LIGHT THAT ILLUMINATE THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD

Light is a very familiar word in the scriptures; light is a symbol that represents awareness, knowledge, and understanding. Light clarifies, Illuminates, Inspires, defeats darkness, shines fully and freely, it guides, stimulates and motivates, provokes action, irritates those who like darkness, confirms truth, purifies, exposes sin, warms and assures us of safety and also facilitates progress. 

Little wonder, Jesus in our Gospel passage today said: No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed. No, he puts it on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be known and brought to light.

So, as people who have been purified by the light of Christ through our baptism, we are entrusted with the mission of illuminating the darkness around us. During our baptism, we were given candlelight which we are to keep brightly burning as a flame of faith in our hearts as we journey with others towards our heavenly kingdom. This, therefore, clearly defines our role in the mission of Christ, which is to illuminate darkness and reflect the glory of God in the darkness of the passing world. 

Hence, every Christian is called by God to influence the world positively through the light of our faith, just like Cyrus, king of Persia, in our first reading, who was the light that illuminated the darkness in the midst of the people of Israel who were in exile. 

For he ordered the people to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple of God, and so free them from the darkness of exile and slavery, and brought the light of hope to the people.

Dear friends, the focus of today’s message is that all of us are called to positively influence the lives of humanity by our attitude and character which should be like that of purifying light. Where there is darkness we should let the light of Christ illuminate. Where pride, selfishness, corruption and greed have brought darkness, let the light of our good attitude and character illuminate it once again. 

Where sin and immorality have made humanity filthy and ugly, let our light of holiness purify. Therefore, we must not let our lights be hidden under the darkness of this passing world; rather, we must let them shine wherever we find ourselves.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we struggle every day to truly carry out the mission entrusted to us, give us the grace and courage to dedicate ourselves, our time, our energy and effort to becoming true light that illuminates our families, society and the world filled with darkness of sin and evil. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful week.

Homily For Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 21st September, 2025

 

Readings: Amos 8:4-7; Ps.113; 1Tim.2:1-8; Luke 16:1-13

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

LEARN TO PRUDENTLY USE THE THINGS OF THIS PASSING WORLD TO GAIN YOUR SALVATION

The elements of good and bad seem inherent in the human person, which is why the world is made up of both good and bad people mixed together. This will help us to understand the reason for corruption, greediness, immoral and social decadence in our world today. 

For walking through the streets, I observed how people are struggling with the things of this passing world. I can feel their passion, their determination and willingness even in the midst of corruption and challenges of life. 

How I wish we could put such energy into working towards the things that edify our souls. But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: what is my attitude towards the things of this passing world? Can I be trusted with the things of this passing world no matter how little? As managers of God’s resources, how are we using the things of this passing world, knowing that we are expected to be wise and smart in managing them?

Little wonder, in the Gospel passage today, Jesus tells us the parable of the dishonest steward who, having acted unjustly and having been exposed by his master, went to great lengths to make friends of his master’s debtors to secure his future. In this parable, Jesus is not telling us to be dishonest, but he wants us to learn a lesson about the danger of worldly cunning and the grace of Christian cleverness. 

We can learn even from this dishonest servant how to prudently use the things of this passing world to gain our salvation. Thus, Jesus points out that we too should be smart but not exactly like the dishonest steward, using dishonest wealth to exploit others as most people do today in our society. No, instead we, his disciples, are to use our wealth to win souls for the kingdom and safeguard our own souls. 

Hence, in this parable, the Lord speaks to us again about the spirit of worldliness: how this worldliness works and how dangerous it can be. And as we know, worldliness is an enemy to human souls, and that is why the devil derives great pleasure in seeing us dwell in worldliness, just like the dishonest steward. 

Though some of us may see nothing wrong with the attitude of this dishonest steward because he has only done what most people, if not everyone, does, especially in our country today, where we condone bribery and corruption as a way of survival and success. This ugly attitude is extremely sinful and dehumanising.

Little wonder Pope Francis,  while addressing this ugly kind of attitude, says that God commands us to live an honest life and bring home bread for our children through honest means. But most of us, like this dishonest steward, have chosen to bring back dirty bread of dishonesty for our children and even train and bring them up through dishonest means. 

Perhaps, today we should pray for many children and adults who receive dirty bread of dishonesty from their parents, especially those who are now hungry for the dignity of honesty.  This is what St. Paul advice us to do in our second reading today when he said: first of all, there should be prayers offered for everyone, petitions, intercessions and thanksgiving and especially for kings and others in authority, so that we may be able to live religious and reverent lives in peace and quiet. 

To do this is right, and will please God our saviour: for he wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth. This is important because bribery and corruption are obvious in our society today and they are serious sins because they are against our human dignity. The dignity by which we are united to God and to one another through our honest labour and not through bribery and corruption. 

Little wonder God, through prophet Amos in our first reading today, said: Listen to this, you who trample on the needy and try to suppress the poor people of the country, who can buy up the poor for money, and the needy for a pair of sandals. Never will I forget a single thing you have done. So, we should be careful not to fall into the temptations of money and other worldly pleasures which are trying to lead us away from God and the salvation he has given us.

The fact remains that these corrupt and cunning ways of life dehumanize us, even though it seems to be common in our society today, it doesn’t really make it right. Though, we are not called to be foolish, rather we are meant to know that there is another road, an alternative route to worldly cunning. It is the path of “Christian cleverness”. 

This path, Pope Francis says, “allows us to be cunning but not according to the spirit of the world but the smartness of God’s wisdom and grace. For Jesus himself said: be wise as serpents, innocent as doves”. Uniting these two realities is the grace that the Lord gives to us when we ask for it.

Dear friends, today,  we are called to live a life of integrity, to let go of worldly cunning and embrace Christian cleverness. For each and every one of us is called to be a good manager and custodian of whatever blessings and resources God has given us. We are all reminded that we have been called to follow the Lord and to devote ourselves to Him wholeheartedly. We must learn to be trusted and ensure that we manage whatever is entrusted to us.

So, we are called to really examine our conscience to know where we are with regard to our vocation as Christians. How can we best harness the things entrusted to us so that they can be sources and means of safeguarding our souls, surrounded by corruption and greediness? 

Therefore, we are called today to be wise and smart, for if the worldly-minded people can be smart in their dealings, we too should be smarter in our struggles for the salvation of our souls and that of humanity at large. We should utilise the resources available to us and use them to secure our salvation. 

This is possible if we understand the principle that says that everything we own is a gift from God; then we will realise that God is the owner of everything and that we are His stewards. As such, we are to use the Master’s resources to further the Master’s work and not the contrary. In this contest, we are told to be generous with our resources and use them for the safety of our souls and the growth of God’s kingdom.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we listened to your words today, may we not be carried away by the things of this passing world. Rather than give us the grace to live a life of integrity and the skills to manage the resources entrusted to us and use them properly for the salvation of humanity and the development of our societies, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a grace-filled Sunday celebration.

Homily For Saturday Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 20th September, 2025. The Memorial of St Andrew Kim Taegon and Companions

 

Readings: 1 Tm 6:13-16; Ps. 100; Luke 8:4-15

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

MAKE YOUR HEART A FERTILE GROUND FOR THE WORD OF GOD TO BEAR FRUIT

Our disposition towards whatever we do in life determines how successful we can be. And experience has shown that people’s disposition varies depending on where their interests are based. Therefore, to be fruitful in whatever we do, we must develop the right disposition towards it. Knowing how important this is in understanding his mission, Jesus, in our Gospel reading today, used the parable of the sower to describe different kinds of human disposition and response towards the Word of God.

He said, A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell on the edge of the path and were trampled on; and the birds of the air ate it up. Some seed fell on rock, and when it came up it withered away, having no moisture. Some seed fell amongst thorns and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell into rich soil and grew and produced its crop a hundredfold.’ Saying this he cried, ‘Listen, anyone who has ears to hear!’

In this parable, Jesus categorised our different dispositions towards the Word of God in relation to our interior life. Thereby giving us the guidelines that will help us to examine our attitudes towards the seed of God’s Word, whether our soul is like dry rocky ground, whether our soul is full of the thorns of the things of this passage world or do we regularly seek to nourish our soul and prepare it to receive the Holy Word of God? So we are called to create a fertile disposition within our hearts to do the will of God.

This is important because today and even in the scriptures, many hear the words of Jesus and do not understand it because of wrong disposition, for instance in the scriptures we have the religious leaders who are against the teachings of Jesus, the crowds that responded positively to Jesus, especially to his miracles of healing, yet turned against him at the end and demanded his crucifixion.

Some disciples, such as Judas, might also be included among those who fell away when trouble or persecution came on account of the Word. The rich young man, who was unable to part with his possessions, provides a clear example of one who hears the word, but the love for the passing things of this world and the lure of wealth choked the word, and it yielded nothing.

Also, what about the good soil? These are those who hear the Word, understand and internalise it, who indeed bear fruit and yield an abundant harvest. Our mother Mary and the apostles, excluding Judas, are good examples of such people. Therefore, the different kinds of ground on which the seed falls represent different ways by which we receive the Word of God. And St. Paul in our first readings today says: I charge you to keep the commandment unstained with no faults or failures, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Here, St Paul reminds us of our basic Christian faith, which teaches that, for us to rise with Christ, we must first die to ourselves. That is, those things which lead us to the ways of this world must die, and we must be reborn to the life of faith. Then we will rise with Christ and share his glory, just as we read in the parable of the Sower.

For the Sower being Christ himself, teaches us how to manage the challenges of life in order to yield a rich harvest of faith and attain eternal joy of heaven, just like St. Andrew Kim Taegon and Companions whose memorial we celebrate today. For they gave up their lives during the persecution of Christians in Korea as a light of faith for the people and so illuminated the darkness of sin and wickedness.

Dear friends, today, our hearts are the fields in which the Word of God is scattered, to which do our hearts belong? The pathway, the rocky ground, the thorns or the good soil? Whichever one, we are called to pay attention and take some time to appreciate God’s Word in our lives by allowing it to bear solid roots in us and germinate to bear great fruits

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we are often distracted from hearing and assimilating your Word we hear every day, give us grace to remain open to receiving your Word, so as to bear fruit abundantly. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed and peaceful weekend.

Homily For Friday Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 19th September, 2025

  

Readings: 1Tim. 6:2-12; Ps. 49; Luke 8:1-3

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

HOW  ARE YOU CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS THE MISSIONARY MANDATE OF CHRIST? 

In his mission to save humanity, Jesus involved a lot of people, some he called to follow him, some desired to follow him but could not, while some decided to follow him because of their personal experience of him and what they could gain from him. 

But only a few followed him in order to provide for him and contribute towards the success of his mission. This is the disposition and personality of those involved in the mission of Christ in our Gospel passage today. 

For when Jesus made his way through towns and villages preaching, and proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom of God. He went with his twelve disciples whom he had called, as well as certain women who had experienced him personally through his divine healing and deliverance. Along with these groups are several others who provided for them out of their own resources. 

This Gospel passage actually points out the nature of the mission of the Church in proclaiming the word of God and our part in this mission. Thus, we are reminded of how God has called us to follow Christ and contribute to the salvation of humanity. 

 St. Paul, in our first reading, tells us that we must learn to sacrifice for the mission, knowing that the love of money is the root of all evils, and there are some who, pursuing it, have wandered away from the faith, and so given their souls several numbers of fatal wounds. 

But, as people dedicated to God, we must avoid all that. We must aim to be saintly and religious, filled with faith and love, patient and gentle. We must fight the good fight of the faith and win for ourselves eternal life.

Thus, as children of eternal life, we are judged worthy of a place in the heavenly Kingdom. So, we are fully involved in the mission of Christ. For there are men and women of our time who give themselves to noble causes. They give themselves to the service of others: they are those who see to the good of others and contribute to the growth of God’s Kingdom just like the women in our Gospel passage today. 

These are people of noble cause, like parents who teach their children the ways of the Lord by their practical way of life, like people who help the weak and the vulnerable, like friends who speak the truth and stand by it and political and Church leaders, who renounce power rather than compromise principles and use every opportunity they have to evangelize the people.

Dear friends, are we really part of this mission of Christ? In what ways are we supporting the mission of the Church? Are we ready to contribute towards this mission through our way of life? Do we desire to be part of this mission but lack the courage and discipline? 

Do we think that this mission is not for us? The fact remains that as baptised persons, it is our obligation to carry out this mission, and it is not optional. It is an obligation we must carry out irrespective of our status, position, environment and deposition.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, the women in our Gospel today were involved in your mission and contributed towards the success of your evangelisation because they had experienced your love and mercy and wished to reciprocate this love. Help us to also realise how much of your love and mercy we have enjoyed and so be disposed to embrace and contribute to the mission of our salvation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Thursday, Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 18th September 2025

 

Readings: 1Tim. 4: 12-16; Ps.111; Luke 7:36-50

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

BECAUSE SHE LOVES MORE HER MANY SINS ARE FORGIVEN

Oftentimes, we are quick to judge and condemn other people; we are quick to identify their sins without looking at our own sinful ways. We find it difficult to accept that something good can come out of people we have labelled as sinners in society. But this is not the same as Jesus in our Gospel passage today, who welcomes sinners and shows them mercy and kindness.

That is why when one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to a meal in his house, and when they are at table, a woman came in, who had a bad name in the town and brought with her an alabaster jar of ointment and begin to weep and her tears fell on the feet of Jesus, and she wiped them away with her hair; kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment as she expressed her gratitude for mercy received.

But the Pharisees, instead of rejoicing on account of this woman's repentance, confined their thoughts to her former ugly and sinful ways of life. Then with a parable, Jesus demonstrated that the greater a sinner, the greater the love he/she ought to show to God when he/she receives mercy and is pardoned.

Little wonder Jesus told Simon the Pharisee, I came into your house, and you poured no water over my feet, but she has poured out her tears over my feet and wiped them away with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has been covering my feet with kisses ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. For this reason, I tell you that her many sins have been forgiven, for she loved much.

This tells us that we are all sinners and debtors before God. Though some sinners are greater debtors, whether our debt be more or less, it is more than we can pay. But God is always ready to forgive us and the more we express our sorrow for sin, the more our love for Christ grows.

Thus, St. Paul in our first reading said “do not let people disregard you because you are young, but be an example to the believers in the way you speak and behave, and in your love, your faith and your purity, do not let your spiritual gifts lie unused.

Dear friends, how do we present ourselves before God? Are we like the Pharisees, who always talk about other people’s sins without minding our own sinfulness? Are we carried away by the things around us and so forget the right things we ought to do?

Are we like the woman in our Gospel, who came before the presence of Jesus with a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving for the mercy and pardon received? Today, we are called to learn how to show appreciation for the mercy and pardon we receive always from our heavenly Father.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we thank you for your graces and mercy which is beyond human imagination, for it is by your grace that we are what we are today, teach us how to be more willing to forgive others as we recognize our own need for God's forgiveness and so learn how to love more, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Wednesday, Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 17th September 2025

 

Readings: 1Tim. 3:14-16; Ps.111; Luke 7:31-35

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LET US LEARN TO TAKE THE WORD OF GOD SERIOUSLY

Reflecting on the disposition of humanity today towards the Word of God, I can not help but ask myself questions about our faith in God, whom we often claim to love and belong to. This is because, despite all the articles of faith and evidence in both scriptures and historical tradition, we still do not have a good grasp of who God really is in our lives. 

This very disposition is always the case with every generation and this is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today when he said: What description can I find for the men of this generation? What are they like? They are like children shouting to one another while they sit in the marketplace: “We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t cry.” 

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a possessed; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! Here Jesus made us know that the problem with this generation is that we have failed to listen to either the message of John the Baptist or that of Jesus. 

No doubt that John’s uncommon lifestyle made people accuse him of having a demon, while Jesus’ habit of eating and drinking with sinners affected his reputation among the Jews. But Jesus made us know that his generation finds reason to take offence at both John and Jesus himself. 

So, Jesus compares those who are rejecting his message to that of children in the marketplace who cannot decide whether they want to play a wedding song or a funeral song, but can’t get the people to dance when the tune is piped. For they played their pipes, and expect others to dance; they beat their breasts in lamentation, and expect others to weep. They complain if others do not comply with their demands

To such a company, Jesus refers as an evil generation in which he and John the Baptist found themselves. Just as in our own generation today, some people have refused to repent when challenged by the teachings of John the Baptist and some people also refused to join the celebrations of Jesus and to take his message seriously.

Dear friends, what is our attitude towards the Word of God we hear every day? Why have we failed to take the Word of God seriously? Why have we failed to embrace the article of faith made available for us by the Lord in our scriptures? Why do we take for granted the signs and messages the Lord is giving us?

Little wonder we heard St. Paul in our first reading today saying: I want you to know how people ought to behave in God’s family – that is, in the Church of the living God, which upholds the truth and keeps it safe. Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is very deep indeed: He was made visible in the flesh, attested by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the pagans, believed in by the world, taken up in glory.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, enkindle in us once again the fire of your love, so that we may embrace your message and so become your great servants dedicating our lives and service to loving you and our neighbours. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.  Have a lovely day.