Homily For Tuesday Fifth Week of Lent Year A, 24th March, 2026

 

Readings: Num.21:4-9; Ps. 102; John:8:21-30

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHAT DOES THE CROSS OF CHRIST REPRESENT IN OUR LIVES?

The symbol of the cross has become the universal image of Christian belief, an instrument of salvation which often appears in Christian artworks. This is because countless generations of artists have turned it into a thing of beauty to be carried in procession or worn as jewellery and used in other religious activities.

But the cross in the eyes of early Christians had no beauty; it was a sign of sorrow, a symbol of courage, an expression of faith which stood outside the city walls, decorated only with decaying human bodies, as a threat to anyone who believed in Jesus. However, this ugly event has turned into a glorious act. This shows the power of God over humanity. Telling us that God is the source of victory, He has the power to turn an ugly situation into a glorious one.

This is evident in our first reading today, where we heard of the rebellion of Israel against God, their lack of gratitude and appreciation for all that God had done for them. The people had repeatedly grumbled and disobeyed the Lord, spurning his love and committing all sorts of sins and betraying God for pagan idols.

At this God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel. Then, they cried to Moses, confessing that they had sinned against God. So Moses interceded and made a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. So, if anyone is bitten and looks at it, they will live.

That's why in our Gospel today, Jesus is reminding us yet again how sin leads to death, and how he himself is going to die as he has repeatedly mentioned to the disciples of his upcoming passion and death. He mentioned how he would suffer and die and be lifted up on the Cross for the salvation of humanity, pointing out the true reality of what had happened with Moses and the Israelites.

The truth is that God reveals his love, his greatest glory, when his Son was lifted up on the cross, for there the victory of our salvation was achieved, and at the Cross, Jesus tells us everything and solves all our difficult problems.

Dear friends, as we struggle with the ugly situations in our lives, societies and our country caused by sin and human frailty, let us deeply look at the Cross of Christ, what do we see? How do we feel about the Cross? What does the Cross represent in our lives? Do we feel the love of Jesus? Can we perceive the high price of our salvation? Have we realised that the Cross of Christ is a symbol of love and victory?

As we reflect on these, let us return to God, for it is time to let go of our sinful ways of life. But what is keeping us from returning to God? Today we are called not to die in our sins, rather, we should look up to the Cross of Christ and find the strength, love and mercy of God.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, your Son paid the price of our salvation on the cross and saved us from sin and death. As we resolve to embrace his mercy, may he change all the ugly situations in the world, countries, societies and our families. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It's a beautiful day, so cheer up, because God cares about you personally.

Homily For Monday Fifth Week of Lent Year A, 23rd March, 2026

 

Readings: Dan. 13:1-9.15-17.19-30.33-62, Ps. 23, John:8:1-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

‘WOMAN, WHERE ARE THEY? HAS NO ONE CONDEMNED YOU?

One of the things that separates us from God and one another is sin. It is that which is opposed to God. Sin, no doubt, has left an ugly legacy on human history. This is evident in our readings today. In the first reading, we heard the popular story of Susanna, an innocent and faithful woman, who was blackmailed by two respected elders who lusted over her and wanted to commit sin with her. 

Susanna stood her ground and refused to submit to those men’s desires, and she almost lost her life to false accusation as the two elders abused their authority to falsely accuse Susanna of adultery and promiscuity, while it was their own sins that led them to condemn her. 

But through God’s Spirit and Wisdom Daniel rose up and defended Susanna, forcing the two elders to reopen the investigation when they had almost succeeded in silencing her by condemning her to death. At this point, Daniel trapped the two elders in their own words and false testimonies, and they were convicted by their own words. 

Also, a similar situation occurred in our Gospel passage today, where we heard how the Pharisees led a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus, condemning her to death by stoning in accordance with the Jewish customs and laws, and they attempted to use her as a test for Jesus, hoping that through his response they would trap him. 

This is because they know that if Jesus had condemned the woman, then the people could have said that Jesus was following the example of the Pharisee and therefore discredit his teaching authority. And if Jesus said that the woman should be set free, the Pharisees then could condemn Jesus for siding with a sinner. 

Here again, the wisdom and mercy of God vindicated the woman when Jesus asked those who had no sin to cast the first stone at the woman. This is a perfectly wise set of words to say on that occasion, as it is a reality that everyone has sinned before, and the longer one has lived, the more sins naturally he or she has committed. 

So they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained standing there. He looked up and said, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir’ she replied. ‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus ‘go away, and do not sin any more'. 

Dear friends, here we experience the consequences of false accusation and God's merciful intervention. Such is the love and mercy of God for each one of us. This shows the fact that God loves us all, and his love for us is even greater than the hatred he has for our sins. And for all those who have faith in him and put their trust in him, God will provide for them and protect them, just as he did for Susanna and this adulterous woman. 

So, God wants us all to repent and be cleansed from our sins, our wickedness, immorality, corruption and selfishness. He is repeating the same words he told the adulterous woman, that she had been forgiven and yet, she must not sin again. Telling us that sin is something that we must struggle to overcome daily, knowing that God is ever-loving and merciful towards us, but we must not take his love and mercy for granted and continue to live in the state of sin.

Therefore, as we approach the Holy week, Jesus uses these examples to explain to us how God searches for us when we are lost in sin and his joy when our friendship with him is restored. His searching for us cost him his life. This can help us realise how precious we are to him. He never gives up on anyone. 

So, are we lost in sin? Have we given up in our struggle against sin? Do you think that your sins are so great that God cannot forgive you? Do you feel lost now? Are you condemned or falsely accused? Are you accusing someone falsely? Are you setting someone up by using the sinful weakness of others? 

 It's time to repent, for Jesus is waiting for us to come back to him. When was the last time you sincerely felt sorry for your habitual sins?  I just want you to know that God loves you and his mercy will not let you be condemned by sin for you are too precious to be lost in sin.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, you never stopped saving those who come to you for mercy, especially when we have separated ourselves from you because of sin. As we embrace your words today. May we experience your mercy once again in our lives. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful week ahead.

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.