Homily For Tuesday, Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 14th October, 2025

Readings: Romans 1:16-25 Ps. 19; Luke 11:37-41

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

BUILDING A STRONG INTERIOR LIFE

There is no doubt that our societies today are full of artful deception, dishonesty and fraudsters. Integrity has become a virus to be eliminated. Morals and virtuous actions are no longer valuable. Heroes of deception and fraudsters are honoured and celebrated.

The interior life of the human person is no longer regarded as important as the outward appearance. This unhealthy way of life is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today. When a Pharisee invited Jesus to dine at his house, he was surprised that Jesus had not first washed before the meal.

But Jesus said to him, ‘Oh, you Pharisees! You clean the outside of the cup and plate, while inside yourselves you are filled with extortion and wickedness. Fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside too? Instead, give alms from what you have and then indeed everything will be clean for you.

Here, the Pharisees were so much interested in the outward appearance and the ‘letters’ of the Law, that they neglected the ‘spirit’ of the Law and the interior life of the human person.

However, Jesus made it clear that the interior life and purity of the human person are not based on the outward appearance of a person but, from the good fruit of virtues that comes from the human soul, because outwardly we may appear to be good and pious, but in reality, our hearts are full of wickedness, immorality and sin.

Little wonder St. Paul in our first reading, reminded us that the anger of God is being revealed from heaven against all the impiety and depravity of men who keep truth imprisoned in their wickedness. For what can be known about God is perfectly plain to them since God himself has made it plain.

Therefore, we must learn to take our interior life very seriously knowing that without a sound interior life, all of our good actions, obedience and the observances of the Law will be empty and meaningless.

Dear friends, today we are called to look within ourselves, and purify our inner being and so make our outward appearance reflect our inner being. We must ensure that our faith in God is pure and genuine by letting our whole lives be inspired by the virtuous and truthful actions of our daily activities. Therefore, let our attitudes begin to change our society that is full of artful deception, dishonesty and fraudsters. Let our lives bear good fruits of integrity, love, purity and faith.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, our hearts are full of corruption, impurity, greediness, wickedness and immorality. Give us the grace to purify our lives with virtues of integrity, honesty, purity and love. We ask this through Christ our lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Monday Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 13th October, 2025

 

Readings: Romans 1:1-7; Ps. 98; Luke 11:29-32

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

UNDERSTANDING THE SIGN OF JONAH

Oftentimes people want to see signs before they can accept or believe whatever we have to present to them. This is the case with the crowd in our Gospel passage today, as they asked Jesus for signs. He said to them, ‘This is an evil generation that asks for a sign! But the only sign that will be given is the sign of Jonah, telling us that, on Judgement day, the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached, they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here with us, that is, Jesus himself.

Here, Jesus presents to us the final recommendations of the end time, pointing out that he is the greatest and only sign we need just like Jonah was to the people of Nineveh. He insists that we should pay rapt attention to the signs nature is giving us concerning the end-time events, that these signs will make us have hope founded firmly on the word of God, which drives away fear and despair, knowing that the kingdom of God is very near to us.

We should also be careful about following those who claim to know when the end is coming. For we may see many of the signs written in Scripture happening already in our time, and people are terrified, looking for someone to show them the way. We should know that Jesus is the only Way, the Truth and the Life.

Thus, St. Paul in our first reading today reminded us about Christ as the sign of God’s promise when he said: it is about Jesus Christ our Lord who, in the order of the spirit, the spirit of holiness that was in him, was proclaimed Son of God in all his power through his resurrection from the dead. Through him we received grace and our apostolic mission to preach the obedience of faith to all pagan nations in honour of his name.

Dear friends, what signs are we seeing around us today? How can we interpret the signs of these times, the signs that tell us that this world is passing away? Do these signs make us dread the second coming of the Lord, or do we joyfully embrace it in anticipation?

Remember, Jesus warns us not to waste our time seeking signs; rather, we should be prepared, we should remain firm in faith. He reminds us that he is not just the sign of Jonah, but something far greater than Jonah, and without him in our lives, we will be lost, because the future lies in his hands and nothing can destroy or hurt us as long as we remain faithful to his commands. Nonetheless, what he requires of us in this world is for us to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with our God.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, in a world full of confusion and deception, help us to remain faithful in following our Lord Jesus, knowing that he is the greatest sign of all time. And as we carry out our task this week, may your favour be with us now and always. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed week ahead.

Homily For Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 12th October, 2025

 

Readings: 2Kings 5:14-17; Ps.98; 2Tim.2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

CULTIVATE THE INNER ATTITUDE OF SHOWING GRATITUDE TO GOD 

There is no doubt that the compassionate love of Jesus in solidarity with human suffering is evident in the scriptures and even in our daily lives. Little wonder, we have great events in the scriptures that illustrate the compassionate concern of Jesus in our daily struggles and how he wishes to set us free from the shackles of our troubles. 

But how often do we show gratitude for such great love? How often do we say thank you, Lord, for all you have done for us? For we often take this for granted.

This is evident in our Gospel passage today, where we heard the story of Jesus’ encounter with the ten lepers. Ten of them were cured, but only one, who was a foreigner among them, came back to thank Jesus. From this man’s gratitude, Jesus made a comment on human ingratitude when he asked “Was there no one to return and give thanks to God except this foreigner?”

The problem is that we don’t always remember that the ultimate source of our graces and gifts is God. That is what makes the Samaritan leper so special and distinguishes him from the other nine, because he realised that God is the source of his healing. 

Unfortunately, God’s greatest gifts, which are our life and health, our ability to think and achieve great things, are often taken for granted by most of us, because we see no reason to show gratitude to God for them.

More so, the story of these lepers is a good example of how we sinners can and should appeal to Jesus for cleansing especially from our sins. We should come in faith knowing that God is always willing to cleanse every sinner who comes to Him, just like Naaman in our first reading today.

But we must know that the devil does not want us to be saved, and he would tempt us to be arrogant and prideful, as we heard in the story of Naaman, who went to the land of Israel seeking healing from leprosy. And when he visited prophet Elisha, he was told to wash himself at the River Jordan seven times, and he would be healed. But he initially refused out of pride. 

This was exactly how the devil tried to prevent Naaman from receiving healing, not just from leprosy but also from his sinfulness and lack of faith, by placing pride and ego in his heart. Thank God for Naaman’s servant who reminded him to be humble and do what the prophet said in order to be healed. In the end, Naaman obeyed, humbling himself in obedience to the advice of the servant, and he was healed, and we heard how he came to thank God and his prophet. 

This is also what we have in our second reading today, where we heard St. Paul appreciating what God has done for him by linking all his success and challenges to that of Christ, saying: if we have died with him, then we shall live with him. If we hold firm, then we shall reign with him. If we disown him, then he will disown us. We may be unfaithful, but he is always faithful.

Dear friends, I don’t know what type of leprosy problems you are going through. Are you weighed down by sin or sickness? Are you feeling helpless and rejected?  Or do I know people who are helpless and need some help? Do I feel the need for Jesus’s help in some aspect of my life? We must know that Jesus wishes to set us free from sickness, troubles, challenges and manipulations of the evil ones. 

The Lord desires to be with us as we struggle every day to overcome the challenges in our families, society and the world at large. Therefore, we should not be afraid to approach Jesus for healing and restoration, all we need is an active faith and a heart of gratitude just like the foreign leper and Naaman

So, let us sincerely turn to God today and say thank you, Lord, for all the things he has done for us. The fact remains that God has blessed us, it’s time to come back and thank him. We have been saved from sin, is time to thank God. It is time to say I'm sorry, Lord, I'm sorry for having deviated from you, and now is the time to come back and say thank you, Lord. 

Yes, it’s time to thank God and all those who he has used to bless us. It’s time to thank our father and mother, our husband and wife. It’s time to thank our siblings, our uncles, aunties, teachers, workers,  employees and employers. It’s time to thank our maids, neighbours, colleagues, classmates, friends,  pastors, doctors and nurses. It’s time to thank those good people in government, civil servants, lawyers, police officers, military men and women who are faithful in their humanitarian services.

Yes, it’s time to thank anyone who has been of help to us. In fact, it will be a great thing if we can figure out one or more persons who have helped us, but we have never thought it necessary to say thanks. Today may be the right day to search, visit and call them and say thank you for all you have been to me. 

If they are dead, pray for them and extend this appreciation to their families. Don't miss this golden opportunity; don't let it pass you by. I will not miss it, I don’t know about you. So today, let us learn to show gratitude to God and to one another, for this is what God requires of us. Let us learn to say thank you, Lord, for that is the right and wise thing to do 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you know our innermost being and the challenges we are struggling with, come to our aid, we pray and cleanse us from all our physical, emotional and spiritual leprosies as we thank you for all you have done for us, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Saturday, Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 11th October 2025

Readings: Joel 4:12-21; Ps.97; Luke 11:27-28

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LEARN TO HEAR AND KEEP THE WORD OF GOD

Reflecting on our relationship with God, family and neighbours, I asked myself which one comes first, because all seem to be important. This is very vital when we relate it to the response of Jesus to a woman in our Gospel passage today, who when Jesus was speaking to the crowd, raised her voice and said, ‘Blessed the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!’ But Jesus replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!’

Here, Jesus highlights that our primary relationship in life is with God. Even the deepest and most natural bonds are created within this primary love of doing the will of God. Mother and family were important to Jesus in his life and at his death, but his real family is centred around the new family relationship that is built among those who hear and keep the word of God. Therefore, our relationship with our family and neighbours is actually rooted in our relationship with God whose word is the light that guides our steps.

But the questions remain: What have we been doing with the word of God we hear every day? What kind of fruit are we bearing in our family and society? How has the word of God changed our lives and disposition towards our family? How has the word of God challenged and propelled us to love God and our neighbours? The answers to these questions are blowing in the wind.

Therefore, today we are called to be more practical and attentive towards listening to the word of God. We are called to put into action the words we hear every day. And concerning this new family of Jesus made up of those who hear the word of God and keep it, Joel in our first reading says: the Lord will be a shelter for his people, a stronghold for the sons of Israel his chosen people.

Dear friends, whatever we feed grows, and whatever we quit feeding dies and feeds away. So what are we feeding our souls with? How are we feeding on the word of God? Our society has enough hearers of the word; what we need now are doers of the word of God, men and women who will fill their lives with the word of God and, from the abundance of their hearts, live a life that will influence society positively.

Thus, when we hear the word of God, we must apply it to our daily lives because that's the only way we can feed our souls. And by so doing we become blessed brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we thank you for the gift of your words we hear every day, Grant that we may cultivate the habit of hearing and keeping your words, to become living instruments of your words in our families, societies and the world at large. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed and fruitful weekend.

Homily For Friday Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 10th October, 2025

 

Readings: Joel 1:13:15.2:1-2; Ps.9;  Luke 11:15-26

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHY DO YOU WANT TO  FRUSTRATE THE GIFT IN OTHERS BECAUSE OF ENVY AND JEALOUSY

One of the gifts of God to us is the gift of discernment, which enables us to know and distinguish between good and evil spirits. This gift is very important to the office of every leader. But it is sad and unacceptable when a leader decides to misuse this gift out of envy and jealousy. 

This is the attitude of some of the people in the crowd, especially those who belong to the party of the Pharisees, as we have it in our Gospel passage today. For we heard how Jesus had delivered a man possessed by an evil spirit. The spirit had bound his tongue and made him mute. 

But when Jesus had cast out the demon from the man and the man spoke, some people in the crowd who belonged to the party of the Pharisees watched this great miracle as it happened, and said that it was through the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that he was able to cast the devil out. 

This is because they were adamant in their opposition against Jesus, which was propelled by envy and jealousy. That is why they were unable to look beyond their narrow-mindedness and stubbornness in insisting that their way was the true way, while others, like our Lord Jesus, were wrong. 

But Jesus, as usual, used this opportunity to correct them by pointing out the mistakes in their argument. Thus, it tells us that it does not make sense for the demons to be fighting one another and so be divided among themselves. Because any house that divides within itself can not stand, and as we know the evil ones are always united in their plans to bring about destruction in human activities.

Dear friends, we are called today to make proper use of the gift of discernment which the Lord has given us. We must not let envy, jealousy and overambition make us deny the truth about the spiritual realities we experience from the Lord. We must not let the devil succeed in sowing the spirit of division among us. 

We should also ask God to endow us with the spirit of discernment and truth, especially during this period that we are faced with the ugly and sad attitude of human deception all over the world. Thus, Prophet Joel in our first reading today said: Sound the trumpet in Zion, give the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the country tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, yes, it is near. Therefore, we must not allow ourselves to be distracted by those who wish to see us fall.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we struggle every day with the manipulation of the evil ones, give us the grace to overcome them, may we never be misled by the devil and all of his forces, as they often attempt to sow divisions and dissensions among us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Thursday Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 9th October, 2025

Readings: Mal. 3:13-4:2; Ps. 1; Luke 11:5-13

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DON’T GIVE UP IN YOUR PRAYER LIFE

Have you been truly in need of something from a friend who is capable of giving you what you need, but he is so busy that he cannot give you what you need now? Or have you been in a situation where you needed something from a friend but could not get it because you could not reach him easily?

Such a situation can put one under serious pressure. Then the question that comes to mind is, are we going to give up or persevere in our struggles by waiting or reaching out to him? This kind of disposition is what we experience sometimes when we pray and our requests are yet to be granted.

And this kind of situation is what Jesus is addressing in the story in our Gospel passage today as he continues his teaching on prayer. Thus, telling us that we should approach God with confidence as a friend, persisting until we obtain what we need.

We should keep on asking, seeking, and knocking in prayer until we obtain the answer we need. Just like a boy asking his father for a fish or an egg, knowing that his father would not give him a snake or a scorpion instead of the fish or egg he had requested.

With this illustration, Jesus emphasised that if we, who are prone to evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more shall the heavenly Father give to those who ask him? In our first reading, we heard the Lord say: I will make allowances for those who serve the Lord as a man makes allowances for the son who obeys him. Then once again you will see the difference between an upright man and a wicked one, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him

Dear friends, there are times when we ask and we receive, seek and find, knock and it is opened to us. But there were also times when we asked but did not receive, sought but did not find, and knocked but the door remained shut.

In such moments, persistence and perseverance in prayer are what we are called to embrace. For they will help us to understand how to trust God knowing that he does not need to be informed of our needs, thereby encouraging us never to lose heart.

This is certainly one of the biggest challenges of our faith today. People are not just patient with God. We want to have everything right now as it is hot. Patience, persistence and perseverance are very difficult virtues for most people today. Therefore, let us learn how to be patient, persistent and persevere in prayer.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, oftentimes we are not patient with you in our prayers, give us the grace to persevere and be persistent in our prayer life and in every other thing we do in life, especially in our relationship with others. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Wednesday, Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 8th October 2025

 

Readings: Jonah 4:1-11, Ps. 86, Luke 11:1-4

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHAT IS YOUR DISPOSITION TOWARDS PRAY?

Prayer is a means of communication between God and humanity. It is a close link by which we reach God who dwells in our hearts. It is through prayer that we discern the will of God for us. Hence, if we have not been able to discern the will of God for our lives or have not had any personal relationship with God in prayer.

Then perhaps we should consider examining our prayer life to know if we have been praying the right way. Thus, we can learn the proper way to pray from the prayer Jesus taught his disciples as the pattern of all prayers, as we have it in our Gospel passage today.

In this prayer, we have four traditional dimensions of prayer which include: glorification of God, submission, justice and protection. Jesus begins by saying: Father, hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come, thereby teaching us that we begin any of our prayers by glorifying God.

Following this is our total submission to God’s providence when we say: Give us each day our daily bread. Then, we acknowledge the justice and mercy of God when we say: Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us. And finally, we ask for God’s guidance and protection when we say: lead us not into temptation but deliver us from all evil.

This is important because it is the means by which we communicate with our God. But oftentimes we treat prayer wrongly when we consider prayer as a means to only achieve what we desire without considering what God desires for us. This is obvious in our first reading today in the prayer of Jonah, who wished that God should condemn the people of Nineveh after his preaching.

But God, out of compassion, forgave them, and so Jonah was angry and prayed, saying: Ah, Lord, is not this just as I said would happen when I was still at home? That was why I went and fled to Tarshish: I knew that you were a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in graciousness, relenting from evil. So now, Lord, please take away my life.

The Lord replied, ‘Are you right to be angry?’ ‘You are only upset about a castor-oil plant which cost you no labour, which you did not make grow, which sprouted in a night and has perished in a night. And am I not to feel sorry for Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people?

Dear friends, it is time for us to change our perspective and wrong disposition towards prayers. It is time for us to spend more quality moments in prayer and be connected with God. We must let our prayers also be meaningful and genuine from our hearts.

It is time for us to improve the quality of our prayer life by imitating Jesus, who always prayed to his heavenly Father at every possible opportunity. But some of us end up spending lots of time reciting the prayers, and yet we do not mean what we say, because we have a wrong disposition born from unforgiving hearts, which must be redirected before we can get a positive response from God.

LET US PRAY; Lord God, we do not know how to pray properly, as we carry out our daily devotion, teach us once again how to pray properly, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.