HOMILY FOR FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR A, 22ND MARCH, 2026

 

Readings: Ez. 37:12-14; Ps. 130; Rom. 8:8-11; John 11:1-45

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

UNDERSTANDING THE REALITY OF DEATH AND RESURRECTION

As human beings, there is 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? These questions become more interesting, especially at this time when the whole world is facing the terrible crisis of war, natural disasters, insecurity and people are dying in their thousands, with many more people now suffering from diseases and preventable sickness. We can see how the whole world is gripped with fear of death. 

Little wonder, most people have all kinds of questions and reservations about terminologies such as ‘death, resurrection, heaven and hell', they often wonder what it will be like. I find the answer to these questions in today’s Gospel reading, where Jesus showed us the power of life over death, in bringing back to life a man who was dead and was buried for four days, witnessed by many people who happened to be there. The story of the resurrection of Lazarus was a great proof for all those who witnessed it, showing the power and authority of Jesus over life and death. This is something that no one could believe. 

In this Gospel, we heard how Jesus wept for his friend Lazarus. This reveals Jesus' compassion towards the weak and sinful nature of humanity. Telling us how this compassionate love of Jesus, which springs from the love of God the Father, is linked to his historical and physical solidarity with human suffering, and constitutes the basis of the church’s liberating activity. 

Hence, this passage of the resurrection of the dead Lazarus is presented to us this fifth Sunday of the Holy Season of Lent to prepare us for the celebration of the Lord’s own Resurrection at Easter. The event which shows the triumph of life over death and good over evil.

Thus, when in the Gospel according to Luke 20:27-38, Jesus was asked a very specific question about resurrection and heaven by the Sadducees, who do not believe in an afterlife at all. Jesus in response, distinguishes between “children of this world” and “children of the resurrection”. 

For him, the children of this world focus their attention on achievements. Taking wives and husbands, building mansions and acquiring wealth. They get involved in projects in such a way that they are ready to kill. They sacrifice important values to attain high positions for themselves and their families; they scheme and connive together to prove themselves better than others. 

This is not far from what we are experiencing in our country today, where people are acting in a very selfish and irrational manner in the different political offices, in public sectors, in banks, markets and shops, hoarding money and increasing the price of many essential goods and services, thereby denying many of those who need the goods the opportunity to get something especially the poor as many have hoard things in there houses and offices and we are all suffering.

The root of this is that many of us are so afraid of facing death that we end up acting in self-preservation and selfishness, even causing trouble to others while doing so. This shows that we have no faith in God anymore, which is why we end up doing all these ugly things out of fear of death. Hence, we must know that fear is the method by which the devil is trying very hard to prevent us from turning to God. 

The truth remains that the more we fear death, the more, in fact, we draw closer to it, because we have little or no faith in God. We have forgotten that life or death is in the hands of God alone, and none of us has the power to extend our lives for even a single second.

On the other hand, the children of the resurrection are those who are judged worthy of a place in heaven. They have no fear of death because the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in them, and he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to their own mortal bodies through the Spirit of Christ living in them. 

They 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. Those parents who teach their children the ways of the Lord by their practical way of life help those who are victims of the challenging events of our time. 

They are friends who speak the truth and stand by it. They are political leaders who renounce power rather than compromise principles. They are public officials, including police officers, businessmen and women who stand for what is right and just in society. 

They often do not see tangible results, and their sacrifices may seem useless. But they maintain their dignity, their sense of self-worth, their sense of righteousness, they “cannot die”. They are sons and daughters of God who have conquered death. So, like Jesus they teach us to understand what it means to be the same as the angels, what it means to remain faithful to our belief, what it means to have faith and hope in God, what it means to say that this world is not my home. 

Dear friends, as we move towards the holy week, the readings invite us to journey with the Lord in his passion so as to share in his resurrection. For we heard the Lord in our first reading saying: I am now going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves and put my spirit in you, and you will live, and be resettled in your own soil. 

And St. Paul in our second reading said: if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you. Therefore, we do not have to be afraid of death, for God has conquered death through the grace of resurrection. But do you believe in resurrection?

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we are often afraid of death. Help us to realise that you have conquered death and have given us the grace of resurrection. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday to you.

Homily For Saturday Fourth Week of Lent Year A, 21st March, 2026

Readings: Jer. 11:18-20, Ps. 7, John:7:40-53

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF PROMOTING EVIL AND WICKEDNESS OVER  GOODWILL 

Reflecting on the ugly situation in our families, societies and the world at large, one may ask why there is so much war, wickedness and hatred around us, and we all seem to be keeping quiet about it. Now, we all have to face the reality before us, both small and great, rich and poor, learned and unlearned, young and old, good and bad, holy and sinful. 

It’s time for us to seek the truth, it’s time to return to our roots, it’s time to turn away from evil and pay attention to the signs of the moment just like the prophet Jeremiah who delivered a message of warnings from the Lord, for the coming destruction for both Judah and Jerusalem. 

For this, he faced lots of difficulties and persecutions from those who hated and disliked him, especially those who, out of pride, were irritated by the constant words of doom that the prophet delivered to them, as we have it in our first reading today. But as the people of the kingdom of Judah continued to live in sin and refused to change their ways, they were doomed to captivity. This is the consequence of promoting evil and wickedness over goodwill. 

In the same way in the Gospel passage, we heard the same plotting and rejection of the person and message of Jesus by the Pharisees and the members of the Sanhedrin. They refused to believe in the message of Jesus and to accept the fact that Jesus is the Messiah just because they perceived that what Jesus had done was contrary to their way of life and the way they enforced their piety and faith. Hence, out of pride, they wished to persecute and condemn him to death. 

Dear friends, we are called to pay attention to the message and signs that God is offering to humanity about the reality of his coming. Telling us that the world as we see it, looking so beautiful, is passing away, and no one knows how or when it will happen. Therefore, we must not let pride lead us to stubbornness and faithlessness so as not to end up acting like the Pharisees, who, in their stubbornness, refused to listen to Jesus. This will likely lead us down the path of sin, and those sins will lead us into damnation unless we repent of them. 

Thus, during this Holy Season of Lent, as we pass through the turbulent moments in our daily lives, we are encouraged to be more humble and willing to open ourselves to accept God’s message of truth, to open our ears, our eyes and deepen our senses to feel and know what God wants us to do with our lives. Let us realise the brevity of our mortal lives and acknowledge how unworthy and corrupt we have become due to our sins. Let us come back to God as our shield, for he alone can deliver and save us from all our troubles and predicaments. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we have often failed to remain faithful to your words; as we listen to you today, may the difficulties of our daily struggles deepen our faith and make us more humble and submissive to your will to experience once again your love and comforting grace. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a safe and peaceful weekend.

Homily For Friday in Fourth Week of Lent Year A, 20th March, 2026

 

Readings: Wis. 2:1.12-22; Ps. 34; John 7:1-2.10.25-30

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DON’T GIVE UP EVEN IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS FOR GOD WILL SOON INTERVENE

There is no doubt that our societies today are full of evil and wickedness against one another especially with the effect of war, terrorism and killings we see and hear everyday. So, everyday we struggle against the malice of the evil ones, and people are doing everything they can to survive and overcome them.

This is evident in our readings today. In the first reading, we heard how unsound some people can be in their thinking. This no doubt reveals the thoughts of the wicked people who rejected the message of God’s truth and persecuted the prophets saying, “let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life, reproaches us for our breaches of the law and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing. He claims to have knowledge of God, and calls himself the son of God”. Such are the ways of the evil ones.

In a similar way in our Gospel we heard of the opposition against Jesus and the efforts his enemies made to try to harm him. This happened in fulfillment of the prophecy about the suffering Servant of God. It is at this point that Jesus made one of the most revealing statement at the Temple before everyone who gathered at the temple, not long before the beginning of his Passion.

He stood firmly against all those who had doubted, rejected and persecuted him, showing how those who refused to believe in him and his truth were blinded by their pride and arrogance, their unwillingness to listen, and their lack of knowledge and faith in him.

Dear friends, as we draw closer to the season of Holy Week, the readings begin to speak about the coming of the Lord’s Passion, the suffering servant of God. For out of pride and selfishness the Pharisees turned against the Lord Jesus. Their malice and worldly concerns and also their ugly desires truncated their faith and obedience to God. In the same way the root of all these evil in our world today is none other than pride, selfishness, arrogance and over ambition in our hearts.

Therefore, as we struggle against the evil of our time we can take consolation from today’s Psalm which tells us that the Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed he will save. For many are the trials of the just man but from them all the Lord will rescue him, for the Lord ransoms the souls of his servants and those who hide in him shall not be condemned. This is a reminder that God will not forget his faithful ones, but those who have acted with injustice and evil, will have to answer for their misdeeds, unless they repent from their sins.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we struggle with the ugly situation in our country and the world at large, give us grace not to give up, may we remain faithful in all trials and temptations. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Thursday Fourth Week of Lent Year A, 19th March, 2026

The Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of Mary

Readings: 2 Sam. 7:4-5.12-14.16, Ps. 89, Rom. 4:13.16-18.22, Matt. 1:16.18-21.24

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LEARN TO HANDLE YOUR CHALLENGES OF LIFE LIKE ST. JOSEPH

Today, we celebrate the solemnity of St Joseph Husband of Mary a man of great virtues. Thus, the liturgy presents to us the events preceding the birth of Jesus and invites us to contemplate in a special way the roles St Joseph in the life of Jesus and Mary.

In the Gospel, Mary was presented as a virgin betrothed to Joseph. That means, they were not yet living together, because they were not yet married. Meanwhile, Mary, after the annunciation, came to be with a child by the power of the Holy Spirit.

When Joseph realized this, he was heartbroken. What will he do? How is he going to handle this? The Gospel tells us that Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put Mary to shame, resolved to send her away quietly.

Joseph seeks to do his will quietly before the angel spoke to him about his mission and role. We could imagine the great trauma Joseph was passing through when we think about the love he has for Mary.

But even in these circumstances, he intends to do the will of God and decides, surely with great sorrow, to send Mary away quietly. We need to meditate on these words in order to understand the great trial that Joseph had to endure.

Hence, we can see how this Gospel passage reveals to us the magnanimity of Joseph’s heart and soul. How he wished to follow his own plan, but God was reserving another plan for him, a greater mission.

Joseph was a man who always listened to the voice of God, he was deeply sensitive to his secret will, he was a man attentive to the messages that came to him from the depths of his heart. He did not persist in following his own plan, he did not allow bitterness to poison his soul; rather, silently he was ready to make himself available to the event of the new mission entrusted to him, what a great virtue.

Little wonder, Pope John Paul II, who was very devoted to St Joseph, emphasis in his Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, “The Guardian of the Redeemer”, that the silence of St Joseph is a model for contemplating the mystery of God in an attitude of total availability to the divine desires.

Showing us that Joseph’s silence does not express an inner emptiness but, on the contrary, the fullness of the faith he bears in his heart which guides all his thoughts and actions.

It is this great virtues and personality that made him stand out in the fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham and David in our first reading, which St. Paul affirms in our second reading and is well portrayed in the psalmist telling us that his dynasty will last forever which consist not on account of any law but on account of the righteousness which consists in faith.

Dear friends, we really need to embrace great virtues of St Joseph, especially the virtue of silence. Therefore, let us cultivate this virtue of silence and allow ourselves to be filled and guided by silence, especially in a world full of noise and distractions.

A world that encourages neither recollection nor listening to God nor one another. The truth is that, our world is in dear need of people with St Joseph’s kind of virtues, we all are in need of such silence if we really wish to make great and positive decisions that will make a difference in our society today.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we embrace this Holy season of Lent, let us through the intercessions of St. Joseph, cultivate the inner attitude of silence and recollection, in order to fully embrace the spirit of the season so as to joyfully experience the glory of Easter. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Wednesday Fourth Week of Lent Year A, 18 March, 2026

 

Readings: Isaiah 49:8-15; PPs.145; John 5:17-30

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LEARN TO ALINE YOUR PLANS WITH THE WILL OF GOD

The second stanza of one of the beautiful songs in our hymn book titled “By and By”, composed by Charles A. Tindley says:

Oft our cherished plans have failed,

Disappointments have prevailed,

And we've wandered in the darkness,

heavy-hearted and alone;

But we're trusting in the Lord,

And, according to his Word,

We will understand it better by and by.

This song will help us understand why Oftentimes when we have good and wonderful intentions, which we feel is the best thing in our life, does not work out the way we want it. This is because our intention may be good and wonderful but as long as it does not fall in line with the will of God, we may only struggle with them, but will not achieve the desired results. So for our cherished plans not to fail, we must learn to outline our intentions with the will of God, just like Jesus in our Gospel passage today.

For we heard how Jesus outlined his intentions with that of his Father when he said ‘I tell you most solemnly, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees the Father doing: I can do nothing by myself, because my aim is to do not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.’

Here, we see that Jesus' conviction came from within. That is from the will of God his Father, who sent him for the salvation of humanity and this was the priority of his life. Jesus spoke of God as a loving father with whom he related closely and confidently. The relationship was so great that the work of Jesus is the same as the work of the Father. But those who could not understand this relationship feels threatened. That is why they seek for a way to kill him.

This should not be our attitude, rather we should seek to outline our intentions with that of God by building a good relationship with him. Though it may be hard to understand and build a relations between divinity and humanity; but through prayers we can develop the willingness to do and fulfil the will of God. And when this is done we will surely achieve our cherished plans.

Dear friends, I don't know the cherished plans in your heart right now, I don’t know your cherished plans which have failed and it seems as if disappointments have prevailed, thereby wandering in the darkness of confusion and heavy heart all alone. Today Jesus is inviting us to make those cherished plans according to the will of God including all our troubles, all our challenges and disappointments and he will help us to succeed.

For we heard the Lord saying in our first reading: At the favourable time I will answer you, on the day of salvation I will help you. For a woman does not forget her baby at the breast, or fail to cherish the son of her womb. Yet even if these forget, I will never forget you.

Therefore, we have to ensure that all our cherished plans are in line with the will of God, then we will tell the story of how we overcome our most troublesome and darkest moments, then we will understand it better by and by.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we learn to outline our intentions with your will, may you direct our cherished plans to suit your will and so achieve the desired results. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you the best of God's favour.

Homily For Tuesday Fourth Week of Lent Year A, 17th March, 2026

 

The Feast of St. Patrick, Secondary Patron Saint of Nigeria

Readings: 1Peter 4:7-11 , Ps. 96, Luke 5:1-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

HAVING AN ENCOUNTER THAT HELPS TO DISCOVER YOUR PURPOSE AND MISSION IN LIFE

There is something deep and unique about every person, sometimes it takes personal experience to discover this uniqueness. I don't know if you have ever had an experience that made you realize the emptiness of this life, a kind of experience that turns your pride into humility, sinfulness into righteousness.

This is the kind of experience that Simon had with Jesus in our Gospel passage today, that made him realize his emptiness and fell at the knees of Jesus confessing his unworthiness.

This is because Jesus had said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signaled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them. When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’

 This very encounter brought true conversion in the lives of Simon and his companion, for this encounter changed their destiny and mission from fishermen to fishers of men. For they obeyed the Lord who told them to put out into the deep waters, and as soon as they followed his instructions, they netted so much fish that the whole boat could not take it. This glorious event manifested the power and grace of God at work in us especially when we humble ourselves.

Dear friends, today we celebrate the Feast of St. Patrick, a great missionary who understood what it mean to be fishers of men like Simon and his brothers. He was known for his personal experience of the Lord in a vision, in which he was asked to go and evangelize the people of Ireland where he came from.

This he successfully carried out and this brought about the Irish missionaries who later became a major force in the spreading of the Gospel all over the world of which Nigeria and most African countries are beneficiaries of this great sacrificial mission.

Therefore, as we celebrate St Patrick, we are called to reflect on our personal encounter with God. How have we personally experience God? When was our spiritual turning point? Do we have a personal conviction about God that does not based on what people have told us about him?

In case we have not personally encountered him, all we need to do is to sincerely seek God in those common events in our lives. Then, we will realize how much God is willing to reveal himself to us. For we heard in our first reading, that each one of us has received a special gift and as good stewards of God’s different grace, we must render our service to one another ungrudgingly to the glory of God.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, everyday is an opportunity to encounter you through different events that occur in our lives. Grant that we may have a personal encounter of you just like Simon and his companion and through the intercession of St. Patrick, may our country Nigeria be transformed through these elections and may we experience you in a unique way in our daily activities and through this experience discover our purpose and mission in life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.

Homily For Monday of Fourth Week of Lent Year A, 16th March 2026

Readings: Is.65:17-21, Ps. 30, John 4:43-54

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

NEVER GIVE UP ON GOD FOR HE HAS NOT GIVING UP ON YOU

The ugly situation in our world today, may seem to most people that God has abandoned his people. It may seem as if the Church is not doing enough for its people. It may seem as if our governments have failed.

But the fact remains that God is ever and always closer to us than we can ever imagine. He has always desired that we pay attention to his teaching and directives through his Church, the scientists and those of our leaders who are making sincere efforts to ensure the good of the people.

But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: do we really listen and hear God speaking to us through the daily activities we experience? Do we still see the hands of God in what we do? Are we really convinced of what we do with the gift of knowledge, skills and talents God has given us?

Do we pay attention to the word of God we hear every day in the house of God, on the streets and through other means of communication? Perhaps we are the ones who have abandoned God, and now we are confused and afraid as a result of all the ugly situation in our societies and in the world.

Dear friends, no matter how we feel about the situation we are passing through today, we are called not to give up on God or his Church or the human agents through whom his help comes to us, for God has not given up on us or abandoned his people. We all need to have our ears opened so that we can hear and understand fully the message God is communicating to humanity through the ugly situations we are passing through today.

For God is saying to us, fear not, come back to me, have courage for the storms will soon be over. And if you turn back to me with all your heart, I will restore your land, no more will the sound of weeping or the sound of cries be heard, no more will be found the infant living a few days only, or the old man not living to the end of his days as we have it in our first reading today. In the Gospel, Jesus says to the court official: “Go home, your son will live”,, and the man believed him and went home. By the time he got home, his son was healed.

Therefore, we must have faith in God and sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him, give thanks to his Holy name. For his anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life. At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn. Because with the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption. Our world He will redeem from the ravage of corruption, pride, selfishness, sin and shame.

LET US PRAY, Lord God, you are the source of all that is good; as we listen to your words today, may you grant our hearts desires so that we may obtain the Joy of your presence to build our faith strongly firm in your words. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful week ahead.