Homily For Saturday Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 4th October, 2025. The Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi

Readings:  Bar. 4:5-12.27-29; Ps 69 Luke 10:17-24

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE JOY OF OUR MISSION IS TO MAKE HEAVEN

In the mission of Christ, there are so many things that can make us happy and oftentimes we hope to have more of them. But there is one goal that should be the basis for all our desires. 

And this is what Jesus is telling us in our Gospel passage today, for when his disciples came back rejoicing with the report of how they were victorious on the mission he sent them. 

Jesus said to them:  ‘I watched Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Yes, I have given you power to tread underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you. Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.

Here, Jesus made it clear that the true joy and goal of our mission as Christians is to make heaven, and he warns us to be careful and make sure our priorities and motivations are centred on this one goal of making it to heaven. 

Little wonder Jesus, filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, said, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children.  Thus, if we are ready to open our hearts in humility and simplicity, God himself will reveal many things to us about himself.

Just like St. Francis of Assisi, whose memorial we celebrate today. He was known for his deep spirituality towards listening to the Word of God and his humble act of charity to the poor and needy. He once said we must not be wise and prudent according to the flesh. Rather we must be simple, humble and pure. We should never desire to be over others.

Dear friends, this is what we see in the life of Prophet Baruch in our first reading today, when he made a great revelation to the people of Israel, saying:  I suffer loneliness because of the sins of my own children, who turned away from the Law of God. 

Take courage, my children, call on God: he who brought disaster on you will remember you. As by your will you first strayed away from God, so now turn back and search for him ten times as hard; for as he brought down those disasters on you, so will he rescue you and give you eternal joy.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, today we are made to know that the true Joy of our mission is to make heaven, grant that through the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi, may we experience the true Joy of your heavenly kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful weekend.

Homily For Friday, Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 3rd October, 2025. The Memorial of St Therese Of The Child Jesus

 

Readings: Bar 1:15-22; Ps. 79; Luke 10:13-16

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

GOD EXPECTS A CHANGE WHENEVER WE ENCOUNTER HIM IN HIS WORD

Reflecting on the ugly and fragile nature of our societies and the world as a whole, especially how the streets are full of people struggling and suffering, the markets are full of people buying, selling, cheating and manipulating others.

Our leaders are so busy with acquiring, manipulating and embezzling the common resources, not minding the struggles, the tears, the disappointments that people are passing through every day, as some people have lost hope.

Though we are blessed with every good thing you can talk about, we have misused them and use them to abuse one another. We are just so busy with everything except the very essence of our existence, that is, the salvation of our souls.

This ugly and fragile kind of condition is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today as he continues with his reproaches, this time to cities where he had done great miracles, yet the people failed to embrace the life of the Gospel he preached.

Hence, he reproached them, saying: Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard on Judgement day with Tyre and Sidon as with you’.

No doubt, Jesus has taught us about the kingdom of God and proclaimed a message of healing and conversion, but his teaching and powerful deeds have not yet been embraced by humanity. Hence, Jesus in this Gospel is not just rebuking the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, but all humanity for not being open to the fruits of his Gospel, calling us to reflect on how we are losing out on what God is offering us. Because God will always have plans to correct us if we are doing wrong.

 In our first reading, we heard how, from the day when the Lord brought our ancestors out of the land of Egypt until today, we have been disobedient to the Lord our God, we have been disloyal, refusing to listen to his voice.

Dear friends, we must not let Jesus say woe to us for failing to embrace the Word of God. Though we might not feel very comfortable with the idea of Jesus rebuking and uttering terrible words of threats on these big and powerful cities that represent all of us and humanity at large. But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: have we really embraced the Word of God we hear every day? Is the Word bearing fruit in our lives?

Can we recognise in this fragile condition the great work that Jesus is doing to save humanity and the need to turn back to God? Do we think that repentance is for others and not for us? Jesus is saying woe to us for failing to embrace and live out the Gospel teachings, because he seems to expect some sort of changes in us when we hear his Words or when we encounter him in prayers.

Therefore, God is calling us to repentance; He wants to come into our souls and dwell Today, He is rebuking all humanity. He wants us to come to Him, for He comes to us more than we go to Him.

Hence, if we believe in God and put our trust in Him, we will have the assurance and guarantee of restoration, for God does not want us to suffer the consequences of our sins; that is why He kept reminding us about the upcoming danger. But, if humanity constantly refuses to believe in God, we may end up in self-destruction.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we embrace your words today, may we, through the intercession of St. Therese, experience your love, joy and healing both physically, materially and more importantly spiritually, as we wait patiently for the restoration of all humanity from the ugly and fragile condition of this passing world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Thursday, Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 2nd October, 2025. The Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels

 

Readings: Neh. 8:1-12; Ps.19; Matt.18:1-5.10

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

CELEBRATING OUR HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS

As humans, we often experience some level of favour, providence and protection which we do not expect. Sometimes we wonder how we managed to escape some dangerous actions on our way or what has inspired and sustained us in doing great works.

The answer to this question is found in the memorial we are celebrating today, that is, our Holy Guardian Angels whom God had set before us, to be our guide and protector in our constant struggle against war that rages in our souls. In this angel we celebrate God’s loving care for each and every one of us, for God sends them to guide and to protect us. They are higher beings than us, but God put them at our service.

The angels have one goal in mind, which is the glorification of God, which, for our sake, consists in our salvation and sanctification. They are prepared to do anything to procure our salvation and increase our sanctification. So, angels do protect us physically, but more than that, they protect us spiritually, especially guiding and protecting our souls from the danger of sin and condemnation.

The angels do this by putting in us a holy fear, or contempt for those evils we know we should avoid. They enlighten our minds in order to help us to know the good we ought to do and the evil we are to avoid, this they do by acting upon the sensible part of our souls, our emotions and sentiments, and so inspire us with joy, peace and the favour of God. For God communicates his message to us through their mediation.

Thus, in our Gospel passage today, Jesus tells us to be humble like little children in following the directives of our Guardian Angels and not be rebellious. As he also warned us from misleading the little children in their faith or in harming them, for their Angels in heaven are constantly interceding for them. He said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Little wonder in our first reading we heard how this rebellious attitude of the human person brought about the capture and exile of the people of Israel. But having gained their freedom, they decided to hear and meditate on the word and laws of God, which, when the word was read and interpreted, they mourned, but Ezra said to all the people, ‘This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not be mournful, do not weep.’ For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the Law.

Dear friends, God has always provided for us and protected us. He often sends his Angels before us. All we have to do is to trust in the Lord and follow the directives that our Guardian Angels have proposed for us. Because, they are always before God interceding and praying constantly for us.

They often speak to us and communicate the message of God to us, but we are often too busy and distracted by the noisy things of this passing world, which the devil has been using to lead us astray. We can not give in to his schemes if we remain faithful and attentive to our Holy Guardian Angels.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of our Guardian Angels, today we ask that through their intercession may we always find favour in your sight and before men, and always be defended by their protection and rejoice eternally in their company as we say: Angel of God, our guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits us here. Ever this day be at our side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Wednesday, Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 1st October, 2025. The Solemnity of Our Lady Queen & Patroness of Nigeria. Happy New Month

 
Readings: Is.11:1-10, Ps.72, Eph. 2:13-22, Matt.2:13-15.19-23

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

COME LET US FIX OUR COUNTRY CONSUMED BY GREED AND SELFISH PEOPLE

The root of all the problems in our world today is the love of power. People are ready to do anything to be in power and to retain that power. This is what we see in the life of Herod in our Gospel passage today, where the Holy family of Jesus had to flee to Egypt, because Herod planned to kill an innocent child for the sake of retaining his power.

This ugly attitude is not far from us today, especially in our country, Nigeria, which is in a state of distress because of the love of power and greediness among the people in power and even the common citizens.

The fact remains that the elements of good and bad seem inherent in the human condition; it is little wonder that the world involves both good and bad mixed together. This will help us to understand the reason for the corruption, greediness, immoral and social decadence in our country today.

So, as we are celebrating our country, Nigeria, at 65 since our independence, we thank God who has made it possible for us to witness the day. But today’s celebration should plunge us into deep reflection about the ugly condition of this country. We need to ask ourselves, what have we done right? What have we done wrong? How can we do better and what will the future of this country be like?

Dear friends, the rate of corruption and greed in this country is so appalling. People are never tired of acquiring and embezzling public funds for their own selfish gain. The truth is that, we need a radical transformation. A transformation that will bring about a new outfit that makes one a new person, with a new life, a new mind and a new way of doing things.

This is possible only when we understand the shortness of this life, the emptiness of this passing world and the danger of greediness, then we will be able to do things the right way, and then our country, Nigeria, will be great again.

For this country will be transformed only when the power of love and goodwill supersedes the love of power, when justice and faithfulness become the habit of every one of us in this country. Then, we can begin to experience that peaceful coexistence and the blessings that Prophet Isaiah mentioned in our first reading.

This will bring the hostility going on in our country to an end, just like St Paul said in our second reading that we shall no longer be strangers in our own country, but true citizens with the saints not just here in our country, try, Nig,eria, but also in the kingdom of God.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, out of selfishness and greediness, we have committed a lot of crimes and injustice against one another. Grant that through the intercession of Our Lady Queen and Patroness of Nigeria, we may resolve to have genuine love and goodwill in carrying out our activities in the societies and our country. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy New Month, wishing you a blessed Independence Day celebration.

Homily For Tuesday, Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 30th September, 2025. The Memorial of St Jerome

 

Readings: Zec.8:20-23; Ps.87; Luke 9:51-56

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

HOW TO DEAL WITH STRONG OPPOSITIONS IN OUR LIVES

Oftentimes when we find ourselves in difficult situations caused by our opponent, the first instinct that comes to our minds is to do away with the opponent and ensure that he or she does not exist anymore. Sometimes we feel like crushing anything that stands in the way towards our goal, especially when we think that we have the power and authority to do so.

This is the disposition of James and John in our Gospel passage today, when they said to Jesus: ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ This is because the people of Samaritan village will not let Jesus and his disciples pass through their town to Jerusalem. For opposing them the two disciples felt that they should be consumed by fire. But Jesus turned and rebuked his disciples, and then went off to another village.

Here, Jesus is showing us how to deal with the opposition in life. If we must surely encounter opposition, what makes a difference is how we deal with it. In the Gospel, the two disciples of Jesus feel that the best way to deal with such opposition is by calling down fire on the opponent, just like most of us would do if we had the power and authority to do so.

However, this is not the same with Jesus, who though had the absolute power and authority to command fire to consume anything he wishes, but in this case, he chooses to flee from the problem not because he was a coward, no, rather because he hoped to experiencing peace and teach us that sometimes the best way to deal with oppositions is to walk away.

This does not mean that he was weak; rather, he wants us to understand that a change of location does not make us weak or remove our enemies, it only changes where the battle takes place. And for Jesus, the battlefield is not the Samaritan territory, but the heart of the human person who occupies the territory.

Perhaps, Jesus did not come to destroy the people; if he had come for that purpose, he would have destroyed these Samaritans, but he came to save. And so he bears patiently the ignorance of the opposition and we too must learn to do the same, just as we heard prophet Zechariah in our first reading saying: there will be other peoples yet, and citizens of great cities. And the inhabitants of one city will go to the next and say, “Come, let us go and entreat the favour of the Lord, and seek the Lord of Hosts.

This is what we see in the life of St. Jerome, whose memorial we celebrate today, for he experienced all sorts of worldly pleasures as a young student of philosophy. But later his conscience led him to conversion into the Christian faith as he renounced all of his past sinful ways of life and devoted himself deeply to the study of the Scriptures, from which come all his great works we are still studying today. For he said that ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of God.

Dear friends, in today’s scriptural passage, we must learn from Jesus how to walk away from opposition for the sake of peace. We should not be like James and John, wanting to destroy those who opposed us. Rather, we must learn to acquire the spirit of Lord Jesus; temper our zeal like his; seek to bear patiently with those who stand on our way. Let us seek peace, let us be patient, and forgiving. Let us not allow the feeling of revenge to consume us into hurting those with whom we feel we cannot resolve our differences.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, every day we encounter opposition that we feel like crushing and eliminating. Help us to learn from Jesus how to deal with opposition patiently for the sake of peace and harmony in our societies. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Monday, Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 29th September, 2025. The Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels

 

Readings:  Rev. 12:7-12; Ps. 103, John 1: 47-51

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF ARCHANGELS IN OUR LIVES AND MISSION 

As Christians, for us to be fruitful in our given vocation in life, there is a need for us to build a personal relationship with God and building this relationship is not as difficult as some people think, because God desires to have such a relationship with us and this he often manifests through the instrument of angels and Archangels. Little wonder we celebrate today the three great Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, who are God’s most powerful instruments for safeguarding the human soul.

In these Archangels, we have a powerful link to God, especially in our constant struggle and the spiritual battle for the sake of our souls. They are categorised based on their responsibilities. Archangel Michael is known as the Prince and defender of the heavenly hosts. He defends us in battle and helps us to be humble, so that we may not fall into pride,  over ambition, greed and vanity like the devil, whom he defeated and sent away from heaven. 

This is to help us remain firm in our commitment to serving the Lord as we have in our first reading today (Rev.12:7-12). Archangel Gabriel is known as the Messenger of God. He helps us to have faith in God through his words so that we may always hope in God. Archangel Raphael is known for the manifestation of the healing and mercy of God, especially for souls corrupted by sin.

This shows us the extent God can go for the sake of saving humanity. The fact is that God loves us so much, and it is not about our love for him, but his own love for us. This is manifested in the life of Jesus who loves us personally and desires to share in our daily struggles through the angels and Archangels. 

All he demands from us is to acknowledge his presence in our lives and cooperate with his grace, and when such relationship is established our lives will change for good just like Nathaniel in our Gospel passage, who acknowledged that Jesus is the Son of God, of which Jesus commended him for his faith and goes on to tell him that he shall see great things in heaven including the angels ascending and descending in the presence of God.

Dear friends, what is our experience of angels and Archangels? Is there any occasion where we can say that we have personally encountered or experienced the presence of an angel? What is our relationship with our guardian angels? If none we should desire to have one through our daily activities. 

For today, we are reminded that God, through the Archangels, manifests his power and presence in human activities, and so we are called to always cooperate with the will of God as directed by his angels and Archangels, who minister to us. We are called to build a personal relationship with God through His Archangels, who are there to defend, guide and heal our souls from sin and death.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you often send your Archangels to guide and direct our affairs in life. Through their faithful direction and protection, may our lives advance boldly along the path of salvation, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 28th September, 2025

Readings: Amos 6:1.4-7; Ps.146; 1Tim.6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

UNDERSTANDING THE SIN OF THE RICH MAN AND THE SACRIFICE OF THE POOR LAZARUS

There is no doubt that the things of this passing world are so beautiful and captivating, and God has made them so. For whatever we have in this world is a blessing from God, who wishes to bless us so that through us others will be blessed. 

But this is not often the disposition of most of us. This is obvious when we reflect on the relationship between the rich and the poor in our society today. Where the poor are neglected and treated as if they are less human. 

This ugly attitude needs to change when we recall the famous parable of the Lord Jesus in our Gospel passage today, about Lazarus the poor man and a rich man whose doorstep Lazarus often dwelt, hoping for the rich man to give him even the scraps of bread and food that fell from his table, but he was often neglected. While the poor Lazarus was rich with sores, he offered his sores to those who came to lick them. 

Here, we heard how the poor Lazarus ended up in Paradise, in the presence of God in heaven with Abraham, enjoying the fullness of God’s inheritance and grace, no longer suffering the pains and torments that he had once endured while he was still alive in the world. 

Meanwhile, we heard how the rich man descended into the depths of hell, suffering in agony for eternity, without any hope of escape, and even when he begged Abraham to send Lazarus for help, that couldn't happen. 

But what was the offence of this rich man? Is it because he was rich? No, his sin is that of omission, which is the sin of neglecting his neighbour Lazarus when he was obviously in the position to help and provide for him through the excess material goods and providence that God has blessed him with. 

A sin of omission, as we know, is a sin committed by willingly not performing a certain action. For he neglected the commandments of God who has called us to love our neighbours and help the needy. Thus, he has to face the consequences of his sin of neglecting his neighbour who needed his help.

This rich man’s name is not known, so one can say that he represents, anonymously, all the wealthy persons insocietyhave failed to use their resources to help the poor. While the poor man, as we heard, has a name. He is a specific person for Jesus, who calls him very appropriately “Lazarus,” the Greek form of the Hebrew name “Eleazar,” which means “God has helped.” Lazarus represents every person who is in need or who suffers unjustly.

It is this unjust action of the rich towards the poor that Prophet Amos is addressing in our first reading today. He condemned the oppression of the poor, as well as the judicial system that denied them any hope of obtaining justice. So he had to threaten the rich with divine judgment when he said: Woe to those who lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the midst of the stall. They shall be the first to go into exile.  

Hence, Amos, in this passage, addressed the issues of social injustice in society. Social injustice, as we know, refers to how unjust actions are being done in a society. This can occur in situations where the people are treated unfairly, out of greediness, selfishness, corruption, wickedness and discrimination at different levels such as age, class, ethnicity, and orientation. These ugly attitudes have a way of separating us from God. So we have to ensure that we are not part of these ugly ways of life.

Little wonder, St Paul in our second reading today says: As a man dedicated to God, you must aim to be saintly and religious, filled with faith and love, patient and gentle. Fight the good fight of the faith and win for yourself the eternal life to which you were called when you made your profession and spoke up for the truth in front of many witnesses. 

We must learn to stand up against any form of injustice, intimidation and oppression of anyone. For there are positive or negative, immediate or later consequences for all our actions just like the case of Lazarus and the rich man.

Dear friends, we can now understand the sin of the Rich man and the sacrifice of the poor Lazarus. So, the example of the parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus calls our attention to the fact that we are going to be judged not based on what God has blessed us with, but on what we have done with what God has given us. So it is important to remind ourselves today that we must also not be ignorant of the poor Lazaruses around us. 

Those who are less fortunate than we are should not be neglected, especially those who work for us, our house helps, our poor security personnel, our poor neighbours, and those we encounter every day in need of our help. 

Remember, no one is too poor that he has nothing to give, even the poor Lazarus was rich with sores, and he offered his sores to the dogs who came to lick them. And no one is so rich that he needs nothing, but the sin of the rich man was the sin of omission; this should not be our lot as we ask God for grace not to neglect the poor Lazarus around us. For we are one in the love of Christ. If we die with him, we will rise up to life.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you are the source of all that we have. As we listen to your words today, grant us we pray, the grace to be conscious of the poor around us and ensure we help them in their struggles. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you God’s favour and blessings. Happy Sunday.