Homily For Saturday Seventh Week of Easter Year B, 18th May, 2024

 

Readings: Acts 28:16-20.30-31; Ps.11; John 21:20-25

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

HOW WILL YOU FEEL TO BE THE DISCIPLE WHOM THE LORD LOVES?

 

One of the greatest mysticists and doctors of the Church,  St. John of the Cross says in the first stanza of his poem entitled: The Living Flame of Love, “O living flame of love that tenderly wounds my soul in its deepest center! Since now You are not oppressive, now consummate! if it be Your will: tear through the veil of this sweet encounter!” This flame of love is the Holy Spirit that bathes the soul encounters it in glory and refreshes it with a divine life of love in which the will of the soul is united in the most sublime flame of love for God in Jesus.

 

This may be the situation in the life of John the beloved one of the disciples of Jesus in our Gospel passage today, which made the scriptures described him as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’. What a great description of anyone’s personality. This disciple had a peculiar share in the love of Christ and was admitted to great nearness and freedom with him that gives him the liberty that no one has among the disciples. This is evident by his leaning on the breast of Jesus at the suggestion of Peter, to ask him at the Last Supper, who was to be the traitor.

 

The fact is that it is a great thing to love Jesus and be loved by Jesus. Yes, Jesus loved all his disciples, yet within that circle of love, there was an innermost place in which the beloved John was favoured to dwell. For those who display an extraordinary love for one, are all the more capable of great affection to many; therefore, because Jesus loved John most, he has an enhanced estimate of his love than the other disciples. Though John was raised, but others were not lowered, rather they were raised with him.

 

John was in more intimate communion with Jesus than others. He was always wherever Jesus was. When all the disciples sit at the table, even Peter is not nearest to the Lord like John, for John will lean his head upon the bosom of Jesus with earnest, eager, intense affection. Jesus loves him not just as a disciple but as a dear friend whose personality as a young individual has the most profitable opportunity of becoming eminent piety. He was the only disciple who was nearer to Jesus and his mother at his passion and death.

 

Hence, Jesus entrusted his mother to him saying Son behold your mother, mother behold your son, because in John, Jesus has found a soul that truly loves. And the more a soul loves God, the more it desires that God be loved and honoured by all and the greater this desire becomes, the more the soul labours toward that end in all possible means and this is evidenced in all the works of John the beloved.

 

Dear friends, have you ever felt loved by God personally? Have you ever been identified as one whom God loves? How will you feel to be the disciple whom the Lord loves? Have you personally desired to be an instrument of God’s love for humanity? Have you ever paid the price of sacrificial love? Have your love ever been rejected by those you loved most or have rejected those who loved you most?

 

Today we are called to examine our conscience to know if there is any sign of true love of God and neighbours in us. We are called to make ourselves available for God’s love to abide in us. We are called to build a personality that gives room for love to flow in us and through us. As we anticipate the solemnity of Pentecost tomorrow, we are called to open our hearts for the Holy Spirit to enkindle in us the fire of his love so that our souls will be transformed in love. May this fire of love be extended to our families, societies, country and the world at large.

 

LET US PRAY: Loving Father, inflame our hearts once again with the fire of your love. Grant that we may personally and collectively experience your divine love for us and all humanity through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a lovely weekend.

Homily For Friday Seventh Week of Easter Year B, 17th May 2024

 

Readings: Acts 25:13-21; Ps.103; John 21:15-19

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

LORD, YOU KNOW EVERYTHING, YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU

 

The ups and downs of life have been a great experience and challenge to humanity. Hence, every day is a new struggle. Life struggles, struggle for survival, struggle against the manipulation of the evil ones, more challenging is the struggles of our self, especially our weakness and sinfulness.

 

These struggles are evident in the life of the disciples of Jesus. All the time they were with Jesus they struggled to be like him, to follow his ways and to understand him and it wasn’t easy. In the cause of these struggles they failed, denied, forsaken, and sinned against the Lord Jesus despite their love for him. But this was well predicted by Jesus who warned them to remain steadfast even in the midst of these struggles.

 

However, after all the struggles and falls during his passion and death, Jesus now needed to strengthen his disciples for the great task ahead before departing from them. So on the occasion of the Gospel passage today, Jesus said to Peter the leader of his Apostles: ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’

 

A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep.’ Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me? and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.

 

Here we can imagine the disposition of the disciples when seeing the Lord as they sat together round the fire, eating silently the meal which Jesus had prepared, and no doubt gazing silently at the Lord’s silence. It must really be a great moment of tension as to how the oppressive silence was to be broken and how Peter’s heart must have been troubled when the great silence was broken with the words: Simon, son of John, do you love me? These three times questions have a special force in the restoration of him who had three times denied his Master, and now three times declares his love for Him, and he is three times restored and entrusted with a great task of feeding his master’s sheep.

 

From this gracious act, we see how God through Jesus treats a soul conscious of its sinfulness and fault; and in Peter’s disposition, we see an illustration of how a soul, conscious of its sinfulness and fault, should behave before God.  This gracious event is very symbolic not just that the Lord had forgiven Peter for his threefold denial at the moment of his arrest and suffering, but also that, the Lord restored him again as the leader of his flocks and the entire Universal Church.

 

Dear friends, in our struggles in this life we have done ugly and sinful things that we are really regretting and don’t want to remember or talk about them just like St Peter. Wishing we could have changed or avoided them, but there is nothing we can do about them anymore except to seek restoration. And this restoration is what Jesus is offering us today as he says: my child do you still love me? Do you really love me? Do you love me more than all the things of this passing world?

 

All we have to say in consciousness of our faults and sinfulness is: Lord you know everything, yes I truly love you. And just like St Peter, the Lord Jesus will not only forgive us, he will restore us to a greater glory. So why struggle in silence, it’s time to break open the hidden wounds of sin in our hearts, for the Lord wants to heal and restore us once again so that we can be open and free to receive the Holy Spirit the promised Paraclete, who will restore us afresh to God’s greater glory.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we anticipate the coming of the Holy Spirit, we come to you today conscious of our faults and sinfulness, grant us we pray for your healing and restoration through Christ our Lord. Amen. Remain blessed.

Homily For Thursday Seventh Week of Easter Year B, 16th May, 2024

 

Readings: Acts 22:30.23:6-11; Ps.16; John 17:20-26

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

DON’T GIVE UP IN YOUR STRUGGLES FOR THE LORD JESUS IS PRAYING FOR YOU

 

Whenever we are passing through a very difficult ugly situation and feels that all hope is gone as our trusted friends have abandoned us, we actually feel great and relieved when we remember that someone is praying for us. It feels right to know that someone is interceding on our behalf, it feels great to hear that someone is communicating with God on our behalf. Yes, for few days now, we have been listening to the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus for his disciples who were with him at the Last Supper, how he prayed for their sanctification and unity.

 

However, in this final part of his prayer, Jesus now prays for all those who through the influence of his disciples come to believe in God and in him, of which each one of us belongs to those whom Jesus is praying for when he said in our Gospel passage today: Holy Father, I pray not only for these, but for those also who through their words will believe in me. May they all be one, Father, may they be one in us, as you are in me and I am in you, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.

 

Here as Jesus prays for his disciples he also extended his pray to everyone who will come to believe in him for he knows that we will all need similar grace and be exposed to similar trials. Hence he prays that those who follow him may be drawn into the life of the Holy Trinity. The Father sends the Son to humanity precisely so that the Son may draw all humanity into the relationship that exists between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So this prayer reminds us that our unity, our “oneness” is to be a sign to the world of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is a thing of great joy to know that each Christian, no matter how insignificant, humble, unknown, poor, unlearned, or despised is been remembered in prayer by Jesus who is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, who will always grant his request.

 

So, if  we can value the prayers of our friends. How much more should we value the prayer of the Son of God. Because from this single prayer of Jesus, we Christians are infinitely more privileged then any other people of the world. Thus, in the midst of any difficulty, trials, and struggles, we should be more confidence once we remember that the Son of God prays for us, and his prayers will surely be heard by God. It is this confidence that St. Paul had when he testified before the tribunal of the chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin as we have it in our first reading, and next night, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Courage! You have borne witness for me in Jerusalem, now you must do the same in Rome.’

 

Dear friends, I don’t know what you are passing through now especially as regards your faith in Jesus? I don’t know what you are asking God to do for you? I don’t know how ugly the situation in your life has been? I don’t know whatever sickness your are passing through or how abandoned and rejected you feel right now? All I have to let you know is that Jesus has not stopped thinking and praying for you. All you have to do is to be confident and remain faithful like St. Paul and you will hear the Lord say to you ‘Courage my child! You have borne witness for me today through your struggles, now I must do the same for you by restoring you to a greater glory.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we place our hope in You, grant that through the prayers of Jesus we may always come out victorious in all our trials and tribulations and so obtain the joy of your help through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you the best of God’s favour and blessings.

Homily For Wednesday Seventh Week of Easter Year B, 15th May 2024

 

Readings: Acts 20:28-38; Ps.68; John 17:11-19

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

LORD, SANCTIFY US ONCE AGAIN IN YOUR TRUTH AND ONENESS 

Sanctity, truth and oneness are very vital concepts that any meaningful family, society, group, community or religion will always need in order to achieve their mission and goals. These are very fundamental because of the role they play in ensuring that things are properly done in any environment they exist. Sanctity which is the quality of being holy comes from the Greek word Hagiason which is related to hagios, which means holy, that is to set apart for God’s service. 

So the concept of Sanctity, sets one apart for the particular service he/she has to render. Truth on the other hand comes from the Latin word veritas which means a representation of things as they are. This concept makes one open to the real situation of the realities around him/her. And where these concepts are present openness and tolerance become possible, hence oneness and unity can be achieved. 

Therefore, knowing the importance of sanctity, truth and oneness in achieving any mission and goal, Jesus in his High Priestly Prayer asks the Father to sanctify his disciples in truth and oneness as we have it in our Gospel passage today when he prayed ‘Holy Father, keep those you have given me true to your name, so that they may be one just as we are one… I am not asking you to remove them from the world but to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world, and for their sake, I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth.  

Similarly, in our first reading, St. Paul prayed to the elders of the Church in Ephesus to be on their guard for themselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made them overseers, to feed the Church of God which he bought with his blood and guide them against fierce wolves who will invade them and will have no mercy on the flock. For there will be men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the disciples to follow them. 

So, from this passage truth becomes the midst by which the sanctification of the disciples will take place. But the evil in the world is a great hindrance to achieving this. However, their likeness to Jesus is the great ground of hope for they have been consecrated to the truth. And this is the real hope and holiness of all true Christians, for through this, the gift of the Holy Spirit is made available to the Church in order to be sanctified in the truth and so share in the oneness of which Christ prayed. 

This oneness is what the whole Christian community has to achieve and sustain both in nature, will, affection and understanding; not only in their union with Christ, but to one another; abiding together, cleaving to each other, standing fast in one Spirit, having the same designs, and the interest of the mission of the salvation of humanity at heart.

Dear friends, today we are called to embrace the divine truth by which we have been sanctified in order to achieve the goal of unity and oneness of which Christ prayed. This oneness is very important not only as Christians but also as families, communities, co-workers, friends and couples. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to sanctify us once more to the truth and so achieve the oneness of which Christ prayed.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, sanctify us once again in the truth of which Your Son Jesus has given us, so, that we may once again achieve oneness in our family, society, in the Church and the world at large through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.

Homily For Tuesday Seventh Week of Easter Year B, The Feast of St. Matthias, 14th May 2024

 

Readings: Acts 1: 15-17.20-26; Ps.113;  John 15:9-17

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

IF YOU KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS YOU WILL REMAIN IN MY LOVE

 

One of the greatest gifts of God to humanity is love. A gift that shows how much he loves us by sending his Son whose life-giving sacrifice means salvation for the world. So, the love that Jesus has for us is nothing less than the Divine love that unites the Persons of the Trinity. And Jesus presented this love as life that must continue among his disciples.

 

 That is why love is beyond human nature and when we love, we are actually acting out that very nature of God in us and this can be overwhelming and mysterious because love is the nature of God that we share. Little wonder in our Gospel passage today, Jesus said to his disciples: ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

 

Hence, today as we celebrate the feast of St. Matthias, we see how the apostles worked so hard to keep the Lord’s commandments and remain in his love as they chose Matthias to replace the traitor, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed the Lord and then killed himself in regret and grief. Thus, Matthias, one of the earliest followers of Jesus, was chosen in order to complete the number of the Twelve Apostles as we have it in our first reading. History has it that, St. Matthias out of love, went on to serve the Lord and his Church faithfully, for he went on many missions and travelled as far as Ethiopia. He laboured hard to establish the Church and the faith in different places and preached the Good News of the Lord, calling many to conversion and true faith.

 

Tradition has it, that Matthias suffered martyrdom in Colchis in Asia Minor. No doubt that St. Matthias together with the other Apostles gave their life, strength, dedication and their whole heart to serve God and his Church, practising and doing what Jesus had commanded them to do, which is to keep the commandments of God so as to remain in his love.

 

Dear friends, let us keep the Lord’s commandments, let us embrace Jesus and the love he is offering us. Let us like St. Matthias serve the Lord and His Church faithfully by spreading his love everywhere we find ourselves. The truth is that it actually feels right and awesome to experience and share the love of God. I don’t know if you have ever loved someone and you show it, or someone loves you and shows it. Or somebody loves you and you know it, it is something great and awesome, because love brings life, healing and wholeness into people’s lives. Thus, it is by loving God in our neighbours that we can share and experience this nature of God in us and by so doing, we will conquer the world full of hatred, self-centeredness, greed and sin.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, You chose St Matthias to become one of the Apostles, grant that through his intercession, we may keep your commandments and remain in your love. And help us to spread this love to the world and by so doing conquer the hatred, self-centeredness, greed and sin rooted in our families, societies and the world at large. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen  Do have a lovely day.

Homily For Monday Seventh Week of Easter Year B, 13th May, 2024

 

Readings: Acts 19:1-8; Ps.68;  John 16:29-33

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

LORD HELP US TO CONQUER OUR FEARS  AND THE TRIBULATIONS OF THIS PASSING WORLD

 

Tribulations and sufferings have been the hallmark of most people’s experience in the world today. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by the level of sufferings we are passing through everyday, the sad news we hear and see in our streets, the television and in the social media. These often make us feel hopeless and fearful because the situation is beyond our control.

 

This kind of fearful situation is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today, knowing that very soon his disciples are going to face a worse situation, so he said to them “Listen; the time will come, in fact it has come already, when you will be scattered, each going his own way and leaving me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you all these so that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but be brave: I have conquered the world.”

 

Here Jesus is telling his disciples these, not to discourage them but to prepare them for many troubles and tribulations they are going to face in the future, so that when the time comes they will find peace and confidence in him.  He told them not to worry because he has conquered the world, not in any political or economic sense but in overcoming the evil in the world. So, all our tribulations, sorrow, suffering have been conquered in Jesus through his passion death and resurrection. Therefore, his disciples can share in this victory, as long as they remain faithful and united in peace.

 

Dear friends, this same promise is available for us his disciples, who today are passing through great tribulations and sufferings in the world. We have to be courageous and find strength in words of Jesus who has conquered the world and all it’s evil and tribulations. For today, Jesus is reassuring us that no matter what is happening in our world, he is still in control and will always ensure that we come out victoriously.

 

Thus, as we prepare and wait patiently for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, let us take our fears, sufferings, tribulations, sickness and disappointments to Jesus and ask him to give us the courage and strong faith, so that through the power of the Holy Spirit we will overcome all the ugly situations in our lives, families, societies and the world at large and so enjoy once again the peace of knowing that he is with us always till the end of time.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, may the power of the Holy Spirit come upon us, we pray, so that following your instructions, we may overcome the world and all the trials and tribulations we face everyday through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful week.

Homily For Seventh Sunday in Easter Year B, 12th May, 2024. End of World Communication Week

 

Readings: Acts.1:15-17.20-26; Ps.103; 1 John 4:11-16;  John 17:11-19

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

WAITING ON THE HOLY SPIRIT THE PROMISED  PARACLETE

 

One of the difficult things we don’t like to hear when we are expecting something great to come our way is the word “wait”. The word wait can be very unpleasant to the ears of anyone who is desperately in need of something. But oftentimes, we have little or no option not to wait, and in life, we have a lot of waiting to do. We wait for the day to break, we wait for the month to end, we wait for the traffic, we wait for our admission, interviews, jobs, husband, wife, children, we wait and wait and wait, in fact, waiting on God is a regular message of faith which we hear every day. Waiting can really be difficult and uncomfortable, it can be suicidal for those who lack the virtue of patience. Nonetheless, good and great things are worth waiting for.

 

Today the seventh Sunday of the Holy season of Easter, our disposition is that of waiting. This is because before this Sunday was the Solemnity of the Ascension which we celebrated on Thursday, from which the Church waits prayerfully for the promised Paraclete. So the Church in this waiting disposition anticipates the promised Paraclete who will help her to communicate the message of Christ to all humanity.

 

 This act of communication is very important as the Church celebrates World Communication Sunday today which was established by Pope Paul VI in 1967 as an annual celebration and as we know communication is a very important aspect of our faith and mission.

 

Little wonder, Jesus knowing how difficult this mission can be for his disciples asked them to wait for the promised Paraclete and he also prayed for them as we have it in our Gospel passage today when he said: Holy Father, keep those you have given me true to your name, so that they may be one like us. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world I have sent them into the world, and for their sake, I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth.

 

This prayer is so important in our lives as Christians. It is called the High Priestly prayer of Jesus. Here we heard the Lord Jesus asking the Father to sanctify his disciples in truth and oneness knowing the importance of sanctity, truth and oneness in achieving their mission and goal. We can see the efficacy of this prayer of Jesus in the election of Matthias to the rank of the Twelve Apostles as we have it in our first reading, which can be seen as an example of how communication in prayer is such an important aspect and part of our faith.

 

We cannot be true Christians unless we open ourselves to the Lord and communicate with him regularly in order to know his will for us and others and by so doing dwell in his love. Hence, we heard St John in our second reading saying: My dear people, since God has loved us so much, we too should love one another. No one has ever seen God, but as long as we love one another God will live in us and his love will be complete in us.

 

Also, in this High Priestly Prayer, Jesus prayed for his disciples that the Father should take care of them in the midst of all the evils in the world and that they should be one as he and the Father are one. In this prayer, Jesus shows us that prayer is a form of communication between us and God, whom we should love dearly and wait patiently for His will to be done in our lives.

 

This simply means that we have to learn how to communicate regularly with God and wait patiently for his will to be done. And in like manner, we must learn how to wait patiently with our loved ones, our friends, our family members and relatives, our spouses and others who are dear to us, we must learn how to wait patiently with life activities and the challenges and struggles that come with it.

 

Dear friends, as the disciples are waiting prayerfully for the promised Paraclete, we too are also called to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Holy Spirit this coming Pentecost Sunday. We are called to go to the upper room of our hearts and conscience and wait patiently for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We are called to prepare and wait on the Holy Spirit through the ongoing novena to the Holy Spirit. We are called to wait patiently for the fulfilment of God’s plan for every one of us just like Matthias. Though waiting may be difficult, but good and great things are worth waiting for and being prepared for.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, graciously hear our supplications,  as we wait patiently for the fulfilment of your promise, grant that when the Paraclete comes, may we be disposed to receive him as our Advocate and let him teach us what to do, how to do it, when to do it and give us the grace to do it properly through Christ our Lord. Amen.  Do have a grace-filled Sunday.