Homily For Thursday Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 23rd October, 2025

Readings: Romans 6:19-23; Ps.1; Luke 12: 49-53
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

THE SWORD OF DIVISION AND SEPARATION

The way things are going in our societies today, we really need to think twice about our faith as Christians, and whether we are ready to live out our faith amid the ugly situation in our country today.

The hostility, brutality, persecution and influential powers of the things of this world have eaten deep into the minds of our leaders and are not stopping soon; rather, it will get tougher unless we stop it now once and for all.

Therefore, if we are willing to live out our Christian faith and obligations, then we need to make a radical decision towards our discipleship in a personal and radical way, for these days, it is not enough to say I am a Christian, we must convincingly and radically practice our faith by following the example of our Lord Jesus.

Little wonder Jesus in our Gospel passage today, takes his discourse on discipleship to a radical and difficult level when he said: 'Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 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 come with the truth of the Gospel teaching, more importantly, when it comes to living out the Gospel message radically, 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.

However, Jesus does not endorse us 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 or against God. Hence, he states that the cost of discipleship extends to one even losing their life. Because following Jesus demands the sacrifice of all that one has.

For none of us can become his true disciple if we do not give up our excess desire for worldly pleasures and possessions, and pay our unreserved loyalty and allegiance to God over all other competing loyalties in our lives, including family, self-interest, and possessions.

Thus, St. Paul in our first said that: as once we put our bodies at the service of vice and immorality, so now we must put them at the service of righteousness for our sanctification.

Dear friends, we are called today to make a radical decision to sincerely and faithfully live out our Christian faith and morals. 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 are the habitual desires and possessions that are holding us back from making this radical decision today? It is time to come to God with all our hearts, for tomorrow may be too late.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, the excess desire for the pleasurable things of this passing world have weakened our hearts towards you, give us courage and grace to let go of our ugly desires and attitudes, to hold firm in our faith despite losing people and things that are dear to us, as we ask you to heal and transform our nation once again. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Wednesday Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 22nd October, 2025

 

Readings: Romans 6:12-16; Ps. 124; Luke 12: 39-48

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

WHY WE MUST BE READY AND PREPARED AT ALL TIMES?

Adequate preparation is often said to be the secret and foundation of every successful event. This is obvious when we observe how footballers, boxers, athletes, also engineers, doctors and farmers, businessmen and women devote time and energy to rigorous preparation towards achieving their goals.

Then I said to myself, if we can go to this length of rigorous periods of preparation just for things of this passing world, more should be even demanded of us when it has to do with preparing for eternal life.

Therefore, if we can devote such time and energy towards our spiritual life which we often neglect, we will be more awake and prepared for the day of the Lord. This is what Jesus is telling us in our Gospel passage today when he said to his disciples: “Be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house.

You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’ Then he used the parable of the faithful and wise steward to make this point clearer. And he concluded by saying: When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him.’

In this passage, we have two commands at the beginning and at the end, which are not quite the same. The first command is based on God’s coming at a “hour” you do not know and the second has to do with managing the responsibility entrusted to us. For, just like the householder’s ignorance of the time when the thief would come is the reason why he does not watch.

Thus, our ignorance of the day and time should be the reason for our watchfulness in order to prevent being robbed. So the image of the thief is chosen to illustrate the unexpected approach of the second coming of Christ, which will be a great surprise to those who are asleep, as they will be robbed of Heavenly gifts and even their earthly treasures.

Hence, Jesus commanded us to stay awake, because we do not know either the day or the hour when the Lord will come. To achieve this, St. Paul in our first reading says: that we must not let sin reign in our mortal bodies or command our obedience to bodily passions, we must not let any part of our body turn into an unholy weapon fighting on the side of sin.

Rather, we should offer ourselves to God, and consider ourselves dead men brought back to life; we should make every part of our bodies into a weapon fighting on the side of God; and then sin will no longer dominate our lives, since we are living by grace and not by law.

Dear friends, as we struggle with the ugly situation in our society and in our world today, we must be courageous, wise, patient and prudent, knowing that our lives as Christians demand that we should be alert. We should be prepared at all times and be ready to make sacrifices like the faithful and wise stewards of our Lord. We should be watchful for we know neither the day nor the hour when the Lord will call us.

Hence, we are reminded today that this world is passing away, so we need to stay awake and be ready. We need to look into our inner being, our interior life in order to embrace the life of holiness and self-control that will help us to be more prepared for the coming of the Lord.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we have often failed to listen to your warnings concerning the things of this passing world and the need for us to stay awake and be ready for your coming, give us the grace and wisdom to be well prepared to stand before you whenever you call us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Tuesday Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 21st October, 2025

 

Readings: Romans 5:12.15.17-21; Ps. 40; Luke 12:36-38

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

HAPPY ARE THOSE WHO ARE READY FOR THE MASTER TO RETURN

There are two most important events in our life as a human person. One is well known, prepared and constantly celebrated, that is, our birthday. The other, which is the ultimate, is not known and less attention and preparation is being made for it, that is, the day of our departure from this world.

So, Jesus knowing how important this day is, instructed his disciples in our Gospel passage today saying: “Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, wait for him, for happy are those servants if he finds them ready when he comes.”

Here we have a scenario which illustrates the unexpected approach of the coming of Christ which will be a great surprise to those who are asleep as they will be missing out on the heavenly joy and also be deprived of their earthly treasures.

But for those that shall be found awake and ready, the Lord's coming will be a happy day, while for those that are not prepared, it will be very dreadful. Thus our ignorance of the day and time of his coming is the reason for our watchfulness, so we must be awake and ready at all times.

Thus, St. Paul addressing the ugly situation that humanity found herself and the need for us to be ready to come out of it said in our first reading today that: sin entered the world through one man, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned; but the gift itself considerably outweighed the fall.

If it is certain that through one man’s fall, so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, has come to so many as an abundant gift of salvation. For this reason, we should be more prepared and ready for that glorious day of the Lord.

Dear friends, we are called today to be ready. We are called to repentance. We are called to embrace the new life the Lord is offering us. We are called to a life of constant struggle towards perfection in order to embrace the Lord whenever he comes.

Therefore, preparation is the key word. Let us not be deceived when the world suggests to us that the day of death is not coming soon so forget who we are, and then, the day and time will take us by surprise.

Rather, let us be like those wise servants who are prepared at all times for the coming of the master. Thus, we must change our disposition, especially as regards our attitude towards the things of this passing world in order to embrace more of the things that will lead us to our heavenly kingdom for we are nothing but travellers in this world.

LET US PRAY, Lord God, today you ask us to be ready for your coming, increase in us the desire to be prepared and ready for that inevitable event of death, so that whenever it comes, it will not be a shock to us, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It's a lovely day, may God bless your efforts and grant success to the works of your hands. 

Homily For Monday Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 20th October, 2025

 

Readings: Romans 4:20-25; Ps: Luke 1: 69-75;  Luke 12:13-21

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

ALL THESE HOARDS OF YOURS WHOSE WILL THEY BE? 

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 warns us against covetousness and excessive attachment to worldly possessions which he greatly emphasized with the story of the rich Man Harvest. 

In this story a rich man who, having had a good harvest from his land, thought to himself, “What am I to do? I do not have enough room to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in them, and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time.” But God said to him, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?

Here, Jesus tells his disciples about the need to live a life of detachment. He used this story to teach his disciples and all of us about the futility of worldly desires and their pursuits. Thereby showing us the foolishness of human greed, as well as pride and ego. 

For in this man, we see the uselessness of human selfishness, covetousness and excess worldly possession, as he constantly focused only on himself saying I will do this, I will do that, ‘My goods, my fruits, my barns, my soul, etc, without any interest or room for his neighbours or the poor. 

He has no thought of God, nor his servants. If he had looked a little beyond himself, he would have seen many places where he could have bestowed his crops.  Thus, there is a need for us to constantly prune ourselves from excess love for material possessions 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 it at the expense of eternal life is grade-one suicide. No doubt, it is difficult to give out or share our possessions, but the ones who give up everything are the ones who receive more in this life as well as in heaven. 

For St. Paul tells us in our first reading that, since God had made him a promise, Abraham refused either to deny it or even to doubt it, but drew strength from faith and gave glory to God, convinced that God had the power to do what he had promised. This will help us to understand the need to live a detached life.

Dear friends, 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 our neighbours.

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 prune us always from the sin of covetousness and pride, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed week.

Homily For Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 19th October, 2025. Mission Sunday

 

Reading: Exo. 17:8-13; Ps.121; 2Tim.3:14-4:2; Luke:18:1-8

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LEARN TO BE PATIENT AND PERSISTENT IN PRAYER AS MISSIONARY 

There are times when we asked and we received, sought and found, knocked and it was opened to us. But there were also times when we asked but did not receive, seek but did not find, knocked but the doors remained shut. In such moments what should we do? Quit or persist in our request?

Jesus in our Gospel passage today gave us the answer to this question. For using the parable of the widow and the unjust judge he addressed the issues of faith in difficult times and the need to persevere in prayer. Here Jesus reassures us that God hears our prayers. He tells us that we need to pray continually and never lose heart.

In this parable Jesus is not comparing God to an unjust judge, but he is saying that if through perseverance one obtains justice from an unjust judge, how much more will we receive our hearts desires from a good and loving Father? For persevering in prayer teaches us that God does not need to be informed of our needs, rather he is training us to learn how to be patient with life situations and struggles.

The parable also serves to encourage those suffering from injustice to continue with their struggles and also the call for justice for everyone. In this parable, we learn how we should persist in our complaints, and prayerfully confront unjust authorities in order to effect the change needed for justice to reign.

Thus, Jesus is encouraging us never to lose heart in times of injustice and challenges of life, rather, we should approach God with confidence, persisting until we obtain what we need. We should keep on asking, seeking, and knocking in prayer until we obtain the answer we need.

This is what we heard in our first reading today when we heard how the people of Israel was victorious in the battle at Rephidim. For as long as Moses kept his arms raised, Israel had the advantage; when he let his arms fall, the advantage went to Amalek. And when Moses’ arms grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him to support him.

Also Aaron and Hur supporting his arms, one on one side, one on the other; and his arms remained firm till sunset. And with the edge of the sword Joshua cut down Amalek and his people and victory was granted to the chosen people of God. This teaches us that sometimes prayer requires the support of others especially in difficult situations, for we need one another.

Now we can understand the value of praying for one another. Yes, there is strength and strong connection when we pray together or support one another in prayers. For it is often said that the family that prayers together stays together. Prayer has the power to strengthen families and improve relationships, that’s precisely why we need to have a special prayer place for everyone in our family.

Our Family prayer is the bound that holds us together. It’s the spiritual foundation of our home which is a solid base that gives our children the security and confidence to face challenges in life. This is why we need to teach our children the important of prayers and the need to inspire them to pray and study the scriptures.

Little wonder St. Paul in our second reading today says: all scripture is inspired by God and can profitably be used for teaching, for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be holy. This is how the man who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work.

He continues: I put this duty to you, in the name of Christ Jesus and of his kingdom: proclaim the message in season and out of season, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, call to obedience. But do all with patience and with the intention of teaching.

Dear friends, have you been truly in need of something from a friend who is capable of give you what you need but has not yet giving it to you? Or have you been in a situation where you needed something from a friend but cannot get it because you can not reach him or does not know how to reach him easily? Such a situation can make one to be under serious pressure. Then the question that comes to mind is, are we going to give up or persevere in our struggles of waiting and reaching out to him? This kind of disposition is what we experience sometimes when we pray and our requests are yet to be granted.

In such moments we should not give up easily for sometime prayers require persistency and perseverance. For these 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, for people are not ready to wait for God’s time. Let me ask you a question? “As good parents who love their children, if your seven years old son walk up to the Father who his capable to give his son anything he asks saying: father I want you to give me the car key for I wish to own and drive a car.

As a good and loving father what will you do? Give him the car key immediately because you can afford it knowing that the car at this stage of his life will put his life and the life of other people in danger? Or will not rather ask him to wait for the right time when he is matured enough and passed through driving school, then he will be able to manage the car properly?”

This is how God relates with us as our loving Father. But we are not just patient with God. We want to have everything right now as it is hot without knowing if it is the right time and right thing for us to have. The fact remains that patient, persistency and perseverance help us to conform our will to God’s will, but I don’t know why these are very difficult virtue for most people acquire today.

As we celebrate mission Sunday, let us learn to be patient with God in prayers, let us learn to wait for God’s time, knowing that God’s time is always the best for us. Let us not give up so easily especially in difficult and challenges situations. Let us learn how to wait on God’s intervention through our persistent in prayer.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, 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 things we do in life, especially in our relationship with others. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful mission Sunday celebration.

Homily For Saturday Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 18th October, 2025. The Feast of St. Luke The Evangelist

 

Readings: 2Tim. 4:10-17; Ps. 145; Luke 10: 1-9

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

FULFILLING THE MISSIONARY MANDATE OF CHRIST

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Luke, one of the four great Evangelists of our Christian faith. According to traditions St. Luke was probably a Hellenised Jew or a Greek who embraced the Christian faith as one of the earliest converts among the earliest disciples of Jesus Christ.

He was known as a physician and highly educated and intelligent, which made it possible for him to able to give us a well-detailed account of the very important events about the life and ministry of Jesus in the Gospel account according to Luke and the life and mission of Christ’s disciples in Act of Apostles as inspired by the Holy Spirit.

No doubt St. Luke through his Gospel account has converted many to the Christian faith, turning many people towards the Lord and calling them to embrace his truth and love. Therefore Luke has proved himself to be a great disciple by demonstrating the act of being a good missionary for we heard in our Gospel passage today, how the Lord appointed seventy-two persons and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he was to visit.

He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!

Here, Jesus gave us the nature and requirements for carrying out his missionary mandate successfully. So, to continue this great mission he invites his disciples and sends them out, commanding them to see themselves as someone who gives freely of the good they have received from God.

Hence, we should offer to others what we have received from God just like St Luke, knowing that it has cost us nothing. We must live a life of detachment that is, in this mission, we are to depend totally on God's providence.

Unfortunately, many of the disciples have to face rejection and persecution from people, who through their rebellious attitude have refused to believe in God even though He has always been so patient, loving, caring and forgiving us.

So, as we celebrate this feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, let us be inspired by his faith and commitment. Let us follow his examples as we carry out our missionary mandates no matter how insignificant they may be. We should not underrate our efforts or think that we can't be like St. Luke because of our background or level of exposure.

Rather we should know that God has called his disciples from different backgrounds and works of life: the poor, the rich, some educated, some illiterate, some privileged and powerful, while others weak and not insignificant. So our background and level do not matter. What is important is our attitude towards the missionary mandate entrusted to us at any level we find ourselves.

But dear friends, what is our attitude today towards the missionary mandate of Christ? How has the Word of God shaped our lives? How are we contributing towards the missionary mandate of Christ? Today, as we celebrate the feast of St Luke, we recall his great contributions to the Church and the Christian faithful.

For just as St Luke gave us the Gospel account and the Act of the Apostles as inspired by the Holy Spirit, we as disciples of Christ, have also received a lot from God and his saints without payment; we should learn to give without expecting reward.

Calling us to acknowledge with gratitude all that we have received from God and give freely to others that which we have received. For this act of charity will purify us from pride and self-righteousness, because we are all recipients of God's love, mercy, forgiveness, favour, protection, healing and deliverance. So, we must offer to others these same gifts which we have received.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, today as we celebrate the feast of St. Luke you gave us the requirements and nature of our missionary mandate. Help us to effectively follow these requirements just like St Luke did. We ask this through Christ our Lord Amen. Have a favourable day.

Homily For Friday, Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 17th October, 2025. The Memorial of St Ignatius Antioch

  

Readings: Romans 4:1-8; Ps. 32; Luke 12:1-7

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHOM TO FEAR IN THIS LIFE
 

The word “FEAR” is often defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm. Little wonder, threats, intimidation, torture and fear are some of the powerful ways of silencing people from expressing their views, opinions and faith. 

Hence, Jesus, knowing the difficulties and challenges his disciples would encounter, needed to train and instruct them properly, so that they could stand firm in the midst of threats, opposition and persecution that might bring fear to their midst.

 

Thus, in our Gospel passage today, Jesus continues with his instruction on what it means to be a firm disciple with respect to the mission he is about to entrust to his apostles. He began by saying, What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God’s sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. Fear not: you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.

 

As disciples, these encouraging words of Jesus are very apt especially now that we are passing through difficult moments of intimidation, persecution, brutality, killings, war, genocide, poverty, sickness, greed, immorality and famines in our families, societies, country and the world at large. 

This ugly condition can make someone completely lose hope in humanity and also in God. But Jesus does not want us to lose hope; rather, he wants us to be firm and strong disciples who will stand firm and courageously face the ugly situations we encounter every day. For Jesus needs firm disciples who will speak and stand for his Gospel no matter the cost.

 

He says we should not fear the threats, intimidation, torture and brutality of people who claim to be powerful because of the office they occupy. We should not give in to some of these powerful ways of silencing people from expressing their views, opinions and faith. Yes, all over the world, there are struggles against injustice, protests against intimidation and brutality of innocent people, especially in our country.

 

Hence, we, the youths, are out seeking justice, equity and good governance. We must not stop or give up on our struggles. We must continue to speak and condemn evil without fear, but with the assurance that the Lord is with us, despite everything that we may be suffering and enduring because of the sins and wickedness of the evil ones. 

Thus, St. Paul in our first reading says that happy are those whose crimes are forgiven, whose sins are blotted out; happy the man whom the Lord considers sinless. This is what we see in the life of Ignatus of Antioch, whose memorial we celebrate today. He was the second bishop of Antioch after St Peter. 

He was arrested condemned to death, and transported to Rome to be thrown to the wild beasts in the arena. In the course of his journey, he wrote seven letters to various churches, in which he dealt wisely and deeply with Christ, the organisation of the Church, and the Christian life.

Dear friends, today we are called to be firm disciples of Jesus who has conquered fear, for our purpose in life is to become Jesus in deeds and character. By so doing, we will have confidence that God will enable us to carry out the work that he has entrusted to us, even amid persecution, knowing that neither the human person nor the devil can affect our souls. 

We can be confident of God’s ultimate care for us because He knows even the number of hairs on our heads. Thus, as true disciples of Jesus, we must have confidence and remain firm in faith even during persecution, intimidation, brutality, suffering and sickness, because, His love and care for us surpass all our challenges.

 

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, our society is full of threats, intimidation, brutality, torture and fear from people who are entrusted with authority and ought to protect the interests of humanity. Grant us the grace to resist their evil and ugly attitude and to stand firm amid all the opposition and persecutions we may encounter in our daily lives, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a blessed day.