Homily For Tuesday Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 17th June, 2025

 

Reading: 2Cor 8:1-9; Ps. 146; Matt. 5:43-48

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

WHY SHOULD WE LOVE OUR ENEMIES AND PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE US?

Naturally, people desire to love and be loved, to relate and be in the company of those whom they love. Nobody enjoys being among those who detest them and cause them pain and sorrows.

This is why people naturally sacrifice for those whom they love in order to keep their friendship and companionship. But it takes great love and sacrifice to do good to people who detest us and cause us sorrows and pain, since it is difficult and unnatural to sacrifice for such people.

This sacrificial life of love is what Jesus calls us to embrace in pursuit of the life of perfection. Little wonder he says in our Gospel passage today: “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. If you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect”.

Here Jesus emphasises that though it is natural and universal for human beings to love those who love them. But what makes his disciples different from other people is the ability to love not just everyone, but to love their enemies and not take vengeance or bear grudges against one another. For by so doing, they will be imitating the perfection of God our heavenly Father, who shows equal love to all, calling us to a greater life of sacrificial love and virtue towards perfection.

Hence, St Paul in our first reading today says: “It is not an order that I am giving you; I am just testing the genuineness of your love against the keenness of others. Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty”. Such is God’s kindness, mercy, compassion and love to each and every one of us, without exception, even to the worst and most wicked of sinners.

Dear friends, today we are called to a sacrificial life of love and perfection, we are called to choose love over hatred and forgiveness over vengeance. Hatred breeds violence and other things that weaken the human soul, but love unites and heals.

The fact is that, God desires peace for humanity and this peace is what Jesus came to bring in the world, to restore the peace that God intended for all creation from the first day of creation Today all of us are called to offer this peace to the world full of hatred, greed and violence. This we are called to accept and live out day by day in every way we can.

Therefore, it’s time for us to stretch out the hands of friendship and peace to everyone, both friends and enemies alike, by investing more resources in things that bring about peace and friendship with one another, rather than building nuclear weapon that breeds more violence and hatred in the world. For by so doing the world will become more peaceful and loving.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, the cross of sacrificial life of love is so heavy, give us the grace to truly forgive our enemies and strive towards the life of perfection that offers peace, mercy, compassion and love to distressed humanity through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Monday Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 16th June, 2025

 

Reading: 2Cor 6:1-10; Ps.97 ; Matt. 5:38-42

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

HOW CAN WE START LIVING A LIFE OF NON-RETALIATION IN A WORLD FULL OF WICKEDNESS

Isaac Newton, one of the most influential scientists, states in his third law of motion that: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." This law describes what happens to a body when it exerts a force on another body. Forces, as we know, always occur in pairs, so when one body pushes against another, the second body pushes back just as hard and in equal magnitude.

This law truly explains the fragile and selfish nature of the human person, which makes it natural and common for human beings to react positively or negatively to things that hurt them. A hot slap given to anyone whether out of anger for the bad thing he/ she has done or just as an act of wickedness and intimidation will naturally trigger in our consciousness an equal magnitude of retaliation and this has been the force behind the law that says: ‘ an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’

This principle was the basis for justice in the Ancient Near East. It was put in place to restrain unlimited blood vengeance. It limited what damages one could expect to what was considered proportional, equal and fair to any unjust act. However, in our Gospel passage today, Jesus offers a new dimension that calls for deeper virtue towards this law when he says: “You have learnt how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.

But I say this to you: offer the wicked man no resistance. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; if a man takes you to court and would have your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone orders you to go one mile, go two miles with him.”

Here, Jesus declares that the law had no reference to private revenge, that it was given only to regulate natural human conduct, but the Jews had extended it to private conduct and made it the rule by which revenge is taken. They considered themselves justified by this rule to inflict the same injury on others just the way they had received it. Jesus then showed another aspect of the law which is more sacrificial and requires a deeper virtue, in which the old interpretation of the Law will no longer be valid.

 So Jesus reversed the attitude of conniving to see one’s adversary suffer, with the sacrificial attitude of love for enemies. An attitude that does not seek what one can get in retaliation but what one can sacrifice for the sake of peace and love. This attitude makes the disciples of Jesus different from other people since they will have to love not just everyone but also their enemies and not take vengeance or bear grudges against one another. And by so doing, they will be imitating God, their heavenly Father, who shows equal love to both the good and the bad, because his love knows no bounds.

Dear friends, today we are called to embrace a life of deeper virtue. A life of sacrificial love, for when Jesus told his disciples to offer their other cheek to be struck, their cloak when asked for a tunic and to go even one mile further, he is calling us all to a new life of sacrificial love, one that is filled not with revenge or selfishness.

Little wonder St. Paul in our first reading says: We do nothing that people might object to, so as not to bring discredit on our function as God’s servants. Instead, we prove we are servants of God by great fortitude in times of suffering: in times of hardship and distress; when we are flogged, or sent to prison, or mobbed; labouring, sleepless and starving.

Yes, we prove we are God’s servants by our purity, knowledge, patience, holiness and kindness; though looking most miserable and poor, yet we make others rich, and even when it appears we are having nothing, yet we have everything in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Therefore, we are to reject all forms of violence, retaliation and vengeance, but focus all our attention on forgiveness, mercy and peace in a sacrificial way so that through our sacrificial love the world will become more peaceful and loving.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, it is really difficult to live a life of non-retaliation in a world full of wickedness, persecution, and violence. Give us the grace to resist all forms of violence but focus all our attention on the sacrificial love of forgiveness, mercy and peace. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed week.

Homily for Sunday the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Year C, 15th June, 2025

 

Reading: Prov. 8:22-31; Ps. 8; Rom. 5:1-5; John 16:12-15

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

UNDERSTANDING GOD’S REVELATION OF HIMSELF TO HUMANITY 

Every Sunday that follows Pentecost the Holy Mother Church celebrates the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, an event that marks the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. So, today our attention is turned to the mysteries of heaven, where we gaze with an eye of faith into the mystery of God’s revelation of himself to humanity.

Therefore, today’s celebration is a special feast that gives us the opportunity to reflect and understand how God has revealed himself to humanity. Hence, today we gaze into the communitarian life of God as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, who live in a communion of love and call us to participate in this love. Thereby reminding us of the marvellous plan of our salvation. 

This, of course, finds its origin in the Trinitarian love of the Father, who sent the Son and the Holy Spirit for the redemption of humanity, of which we have been called to share in this family of love. This family of love is God’s nature that he shares with humanity through the Son Jesus, the Word Made Flesh and the Holy Spirit the promised Paraclete. 

This solemnity reveals to us that “God is love not in the oneness of a single Person, but in the Trinity of one substance”, as we have it in the Preface of today’s celebration. Telling us that God is the creator and merciful Father; he is the Only-Begotten Son, the eternal Word of Wisdom incarnate, who died and rose for us; he is also the Holy Spirit the Paraclete, who moves all things in history, toward their final and full recapitulation. 

That is, three Persons who are ONE GOD by the nature of His Being and Substance as Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. For the Father is love, the Son is love made Flesh and dwelt among us, and the Spirit is love in Action. So, there is wholly ONE purest, infinite and eternal LOVE which is God. The same LOVE is God himself in Revelation to humanity and LOVE which is God in Action with and in humanity. This, of course, is always a mystery, a reality that surpasses human reason without contradiction. 

Thus, in this Sunday’s solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we celebrate the summary of God’s revelation which was brought about through the paschal mysteries of Christ’s Death, Resurrection and Ascension to the right hand of the Father, and the gracious outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This great mystery of the Triune God can not be totally comprehended by the human mind and language; hence, the Church has called us to live it with deep faith and apply it in our daily lives. 

Little wonder that our readings today tell us about this Trinitarian nature of God in human history. In the First Reading, we heard about the revelation of how God’s wisdom actively participated in the history of creation. For we heard how the Wisdom of God cries aloud saying: The Lord created me when his purpose first unfolded, before the oldest of his works. From everlasting I was firmly set, from the beginning, before earth came into being.

Therefore, Jesus, who is wisdom personified in human nature after his resurrection, instructed his disciples in our Gospel passage today, saying: ‘I still have many things to say to you, but they would be too much for you now. But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come.

Here, his disciples are being incorporated into the life of the Trinity; we are to go and introduce humanity into this New Life. This is a great act of love which shows us God’s love in action, illustrating that God is not closed or satisfied with his own self-sufficiency, but he is that life of love that wants to communicate itself with his fragile creatures in an open and deep relationship. 

Hence St Paul talking about this new relationship in our second reading, encouraged and invited us to share and participate actively in the communitarian family of love in the Trinity that is now open for all humanity when he said: through our Lord Jesus Christ, by faith we are judged righteous and at peace with God, since it is by faith and through Jesus that we have entered this state of grace in which we can boast about looking forward to God’s glory. Because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us. 

  

Dear friends, today’s solemnity invites us to embrace the new life we have found in the Trinity, that new life that calls us to the reality of love that is contained in the mystery of our faith. The One love of the Father, that is made Flesh in the Person of Christ Jesus the Son, and in Action in the Person of the Holy Spirit, in a purely physical unity of which humanity is called to participate. 

Hence Jesus has revealed to us that we are essentially “God’s children”, creatures who live in relationship with the Creator God the Father, and are called to share this relationship with one another. Thereby reaching out to God and to our fellow mankind, in whose life we discover the image of our common love in the Father. 

Thus, in this love comes the model of the human community, originating from the Triune Family to our individual human families down to the society and the world at large, pointing to us that humanity are one, related in the love of God our common Father, through His Son Jesus in the active power of the Holy Spirit. 

This is the faith we have embraced and are called to share with all humility. Therefore, we are called to grow in this mission, knowing that, the Trinity is at the same time unity in love and in mission, the more deep this love dwells in us, the stronger the urge to pour it out and spread it to all, beginning from our families, down to the society and to the ends of the Earth.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as you reveal the mystery of your nature which is love and calls us to share and participate in it, grant that humanity may come to embrace this loving kindness, and so be united as one family sharing one common Father in love and truth, we ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen. Have a fruitful Sunday celebration.

Homily For Saturday Tenth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 14th June, 2025

 

Reading: 2 Cor. 5:14-21; Ps. 103; Mt. 5:33-37

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

LEARN TO SAY “YES” OR “NO” WHEN WE MEAN IT

I swear to tell the truth, nothing but the truth, is the word we often hear people say in the courts, in the streets, in the marketplaces and even in the Church to express and affirm what they want to do or what they want to say. But I wonder why we don’t really mean what we say or fulfil what we promised. 

This very ugly attitude is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel reading today, when he said: do not swear at all, either by heaven, since that is God’s throne; or by the earth, since that is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great king. Do not swear by your head either, since you cannot turn a single hair white or black. All you need say is “Yes” if you mean yes, “No” if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the evil one.’ 

Here, Jesus is referring to the ceremonious way in which the Pharisees took oaths. It was one of the things in the culture of their time. That is, people swear oaths with impressive-sounding words before the congregations without fulfilling them. 

But what are the words of these oaths anyway? They were forms of words designed to impress people. They were not indications that the person swearing the oath had any power over the things that the oath mentioned. It was just using words to impress and so gain the acceptance of things in relation to the oath, when in fact this is completely fraudulent because the persons taking the oath, do not intend to keep the promises or commitments that they were confirming by taking that oath. 

They were just fooling the people. And Jesus is saying in essence, that we should not let this foolery ever be part of us because it is hypocrisy and Jesus is against hypocrisy in all its forms, especially when it has to do with taking the name of God in vain. 

To take the name of God in vain means to invoke His name unnecessarily or profanely, to use it without humbly acknowledging the holy character of the One whose name we are invoking. To invoke the name of God in an oath or vow when our statement is false, inconsequential or when we do not intend to honour our words is a direct violation of the second commandment of God. 

Therefore, the issue Jesus is addressing here goes to the very core of our character as Christians, to the heart of what it means to live as a child of God, especially in a society like ours, where deception and falsehood are the order of the day.

Dear friends, Jesus calls us today to be sincere in everything we do or say. That is why he commanded us not to swear an oath; rather, we should say yes when we mean yes, and no when we mean no, so as not to become hypocrites and liars. Let us learn to be sincere, courageous and stand for what is right.  

LET US PRAY: Lord God, give us the courage and a firm faith to say no when we mean no, and yes when we mean yes, and by so doing, change our society positively through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a peaceful weekend.

Homily For Friday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 13th June 2025. The Memorial of St Anthony of Padua

 

Reading: 2 Cork. 4:7-15; Ps. 116; Matt. 5:27-32

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

THE CONSEQUENCES OF HUMAN SEXUAL IRRESPONSIBILITY

There is no doubt that humanity has lost the dignity of the gift of human sexuality as a result of our sexual irresponsibility at different stages of human development. Human sexuality, as we know, encompasses all the physical and integral attributes of our sexual identity as male or female. It includes all our thinking, feeling, acting and interaction that emanate from our maleness and femaleness.

It is a very important aspect of humanity that must not be neglected. Because it enriches human relationships in ways that are basic to God's nature and plans as it offers humanity the grace to participate in the works of creation in partnership with God. Little wonder, sexuality is one of the first human attributes to be identified when scriptures say in Gen.1:27: God created man in his image… Male and female God created them.

So as a result of this great privilege in relation to human sexuality and procreation, humanity is to be truly responsible with the gift of their sexuality. This responsibility is guided by two fundamental principles that is, love and covenant. Hence, any intimate expression of sexuality, especially in the form of sexual intercourse, which is the most bonding of all human relationships, must be guided by these two fundamental principles of love and covenant in a marital act.

Therefore, to emphasise the importance of this sexual responsibility, the sixth commandment of God states that thou shalt not commit adultery. This reveals to us that God wants us to live chastely, justly and charitably in our relationships with one another, and this is exactly what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today.

Here, Jesus emphasised that this sixth commandment forbids not only the acts of adultery and fornication but all appetites for them, all lusting after sexual objects, for this is the beginning of sin. The lust of conceiving it is a bad step towards the sin, for as far as the heart can do it, there is nothing but a convenient opportunity for the sin itself to be carried out.

So all approaches toward the gratification of this sexual appetite, such as touching and feeding the eye with the sight of it, where further satisfaction can be obtained, are forbidden. Because such looks and behaviour are very dangerous and destructive to the soul Jesus said that it is better to lose the eye or the hand than to give way to this sin and perish eternally for it.

Dear friends, today there are so many things that are leading us into this sin and we are so much attached to them because the world has sexualized almost everything around us. The television, the social media, the internet, the music, movies, cartoons, and even our social and religious activities are corrupted by these sexualization motives.

This, of course, drives or tempts us to commit the sins of adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism and masturbation. Because we have lost control of our responsibility towards our sexuality, which of course is the cause of the increase in rape, incest, divorce and all forms of gender transformation going on in our society today. These and many other activities are the consequences of human sexual irresponsibility.

The main point here is for us not to indulge in sins that will ruin our souls. Rather, we should strive for perfection by living a life of mortification and keeping a constant watch over our hearts against the rising of lust and corruption in and out of our conscience, by avoiding the occasions of sin as much as we can.

We should resist it from the beginning and reject the company of those and things that expose us to this sin. Anything at all that leads us to this sin must be cut off in our lives and environment, if not we will keep on falling into it. It is a radical decision we must make today no matter who is involved and the cost or sacrifice that may be required.

This is what we see in the life of St. Anthony of Padua, whose memorial we celebrate today. For he stood firm and courageously preached the gospel of holiness and sacrificially helped the poor.

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, our human sexuality is your great gift to humanity, give us the grace to be responsible with our sexuality, especially in this time when the world has lost the true meaning and value of human sexuality, and as a result so many lives and families are being destroyed, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Thursday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 12th June, 2025

 

Reading: 2 Cor3:15-4:1.3-6.; Ps. 84; Matt.5:20-26

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

LIVING A LIFE OF DEEPER VIRTUES 

Most of the time, we often find it difficult to understand the way God operates, especially as regards his relationship with humanity. This is because humanity has failed to understand how God’s mercy and justice are applicable in our relationship with him and with one another. 

Hence, Jesus in our Gospel passage today, calls us to a deeper virtue, when he said to his disciples, If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

This is because the Scribes and the Pharisees always enforced a strict interpretation and obedience to the Law, its rules and regulations, and yet, failed to truly practice, understand and appreciate that the Law of God is meant to lead God’s people to him and to teach them to practice love in their lives. 

Thus, we ought to be faithful and to follow the Lord more faithfully than the Scribes and Pharisees, for their religious piety is mainly superficial, because their practice of the laws does not truly come from their heart. Their actions and obedience to the Law are motivated by what they want to gain to sustain their pride and desire for worldly glory and praise. 

So, we should not be like them, we should rather get rid of our pride and excess desires for honorific positions. We should strive to deepen our virtue towards righteous deeds. We must become agents of peace and reconciliation. We must be a symbol of God’s mercy and justice in a world full of corruption and greed. 

Hence, St Paul in our first reading today said: If our gospel does not penetrate the veil, then the veil is on those who are not on the way to salvation; the unbelievers whose minds the god of this world has blinded, to stop them seeing the light shed by the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For it is not ourselves that we are preaching, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 

Dear friends, we are calling today to embrace the virtue of humility and readiness to reconcile with those who have offered us, knowing that the mercy and justice of God regulate all things. We have to be vigilant always and strive to be righteous before God and man. 

Today, we must be ready to make a fundamental choice to live a holy life and never return to our sinful ways of life. We must struggle every day to grow in righteousness and never give up, no matter the situation we are passing through now. We should strive every day to remain faithful to God’s commandment of love and peace.  

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we struggle every day towards holiness and perfection, may we be guided by the Holy Spirit and strive to remain towards the path of righteousness and never go back to our sinful and ugly ways of life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Wednesday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 11th June, 2025. The Memorial of St. Barnabas

 

Reading: Act. 11: 21-26.13:1-3; Ps. 118; Matt.5:17-19

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

HAVING AN ENCOURAGING SPIRIT LIKE ST. BARNABAS

Have you ever been in a difficult and ugly situation where you feel like giving up or quitting and pulling out of a noble project, career or goal in life, and then you hear someone telling you don’t give up, don’t pull out, keeping pushing, keeping going for it will soon be over.

Such words and behaviour give one great confidence and renewed energy to stagger on towards achieving the project or career. This is because there is a great strength and renewed energy in us whenever we know that someone believes in us. It feels right and changes our disposition towards difficult and ugly situations.

This act of giving someone support, confidence, hope and persuasion to do or to continue doing something is known as an act of encouragement, which is a branch of the virtue of courage, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings encouragement where it is needed by giving this gift to someone near a person, whoever he is pleased to encourage.

Thus, the act of encouragement has a great impact on human relationships. For when we are inspired by the Holy Spirit to encourage people, we become instrument through which God is letting them know that He has seen what they have done, and by extension, believe what they will be able to do in the future; and that improves their belief in themselves and their potential towards achieving their goals.

This great and wonderful attitude and gift of the Holy Spirit is what St. Barnabas, whose memorial we celebrate today, is known for among his fellow Apostles. Barnabas is one of the most important figures in the history of the early Church, his real name was Joseph, but the apostles nicknamed him Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement.”

For this is a pure summary of his entire personality, for he was someone who encouraged others, believed in them and helped them to respond to God with enthusiasm, because of his helpful and optimistic nature. Barnabas sold a field he owned and laid the proceeds at the apostles’ feet, an obvious sign of his total commitment to Christ and total trust in the apostles.

Such a gesture, common among the first disciples, would have certainly inspired the other members of the Church to courageously do the same. But we see his encouragement more especially in his interaction with St. Paul in our first reading today ( Acts 11:21b-26;13:1-3) where the Holy Spirit speaks to the young Church in Antioch, where the disciples were first called Christians and says, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Here the Holy Spirit inspired them to go on the first great missionary journey in the Church. In this mission, Barnabas was inspired by the gift of Courage, and he was able to encourage Paul and the entire Church to recognise Paul’s gifts and talents. For without Barnabas’ intervention, Paul would have probably remained silenced in Tarsus by other disciples.

But because of Barnabas’ courageous and encouraging interventions, Paul was able to become the greatest missionary in the history of the Church. It was Barnabas who saw the great potential in Paul and chose to make him his collaborator, vouching for him before the Apostles who did not trust him because of his past life of persecuting Christians.

Dear friends, are you passing through a difficult and ugly situation because of your past mistakes? Are you feeling like giving up the noble project and goal you have begun because of some challenges? Does it seem as if your great potential, dreams and talents are being neglected? Please don’t give up, for today St. Barnabas “the son of encouragement” comes to us as he did to Paul and other disciples to encourage us and to get involved in our struggles. He also wants us to be sons and daughters of encouragement to others just like him.

LET US PRAY: O God, as we struggle daily towards our mission and goal in life, may we be encouraged by the virtues of St. Barnabas so as to be another Barnabas to people we encounter in our journey of Life through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day