Homily For Monday in First Week of Advent Year A, 1st December, 2025. HAPPY NEW MONTH

  

Readings: Is. 4:2-6;  Ps.122; Matt 8:5-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE FAITH OF A ROMAN CENTURION 

In our catechism class, we were taught that faith is a supernatural gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused in us by God. Little wonder our levels of faith are not the same. However, our gift of faith grows depending on our disposition and utilisation of the gift. That is why, when Jesus invites people to faith and conversion, he does not coerce them; rather, they come to faith through their disposition and utilisation of their experience with him. 

This is exactly the case with the Roman centurion in our Gospel passage today, who sorts help for his sick servant, he approached Jesus for healing, but when Jesus accepted to come to his home, the centurion hesitates, feeling unworthy of Jesus’ presence in his home, said to him “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed”.  

Here, the centurion believed that Jesus could speak a word of healing, and that would be enough to cure his servant. He has total faith and trust in the power of Jesus’ word. For him, the servant did not even have to hear Jesus speak the word: it was enough that the word was spoken. Jesus praised his faith and genuine humility. Today, these words of the centurion have become a pattern of prayer for us, that before receiving Holy Communion we say it passionately because his faith and compassion are inspiring examples for us to follow. 

This is exactly the kind of faith that all of us must have as well especially in this Advent season. The faith that leads us to seek God wholeheartedly, to be humble before Him and to love Him above all and not to allow our pride, ego and desires to lead us into faithlessness, disobedience and sin against God. 

And when this is done, we can understand the message of Prophet Isaiah in the first reading today, when he said that the branch of the Lord shall be beauty and glory, and the fruit of the earth shall be the pride and adornment of Israel’s survivors. Those who are left of Zion and remain of Jerusalem shall be called holy.

Dear friends, let us learn to put into action the gift of faith that the Lord has given us, just like this Roman Centurion. But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: do we still have total faith and trust in God just like the centurion? What is our disposition towards the gift of faith that God has given us? Do you know that our experiences of evil, injustice, suffering and death can shake or shape the gift of faith in us depending on our disposition. 

The centurion interceded for his sick servant, do we intercede for others who are in need of God’s healing and mercy? Do we know that we can speak God’s word in prayer and someone, somewhere, will find healing? Do we often, like this centurion, recognise in all humility our unworthiness before God?  We are called today to learn from this man’s act of humility and faith.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are weak, and oftentimes we display an act of faithlessness due to the pressure and challenges of life. As we embrace the season of Advent, may you increase our faith and make us humble and patient. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed month.

Homily For First Sunday of Advent Year A, 30th November, 2025

 

Readings: Is. 2:1-5; Ps.122; Romans 13:11-14; Matt. 24:37-44

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

COME LET US PREPARE FOR THE COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

Last Sunday we celebrated the event of Christ the Universal King, an event that marks the end of the liturgical year C. Today is the beginning of another liturgical circle in the liturgical calendar of the Church, the first liturgical year within the three years of A, B and C. So with this Holy season of Advent, we are beginning the liturgical year A.

The season of Advent, as we know, is one of the most important seasons in the life of every Christian. The word Advent comes from the Latin root, Adventus, which means ‘arrival’ though from the root word advenire whereby “ad” means ‘to’ and venire means ‘come’ that is, “to come” or “the coming of someone great”.

Moreover, Advent season is a period of intense preparations and a time of waiting in hope for the coming of the Lord, which is in two folds: first, the coming of the Lord as the Messia, that is, the birth of Jesus at Christmas. And secondly, the return of Jesus at the Second Coming “ the parousia”. This is why the Advent season is divided into two parts.

The first, which runs from the first Sunday until the 16th of December, dwells on the second coming of Christ, which is regarded as the eschatological aspect of Advent. While the second aspect, which focuses on the first coming of Christ at Bethlehem, runs from 17th to 24th December.

Hence, Advent is a season characterised by four major themes which include: ‘Hope’, ‘Peace’, ‘Joy’ and ‘Love’. So, in this first week of Advent, our focus is on hope and preparation. A joyful hope that prepares us for the coming of our Saviour who is our hope.

Thus, as we anticipate the birth of Christ who is the source of our salvation, our hope and the Light that dispels the darkness of this world, it is our duty as Christians to keep hope alive in the world, for as long as there is hope, no situation is impossible.

But what should be our disposition this Holy season of Advent? Our disposition should be one of watchful expectation in order to recognise the Lord and be at peace with him when he comes. We are to be ready and prepared to welcome him with joy in our daily lives.

Hence, this is the season of reconciliation between God and us and also with one another. It is a season when we have to reexamine our way of life. It is a time of reconfiguration of our lives to that of Christ.

 It is also a season to take stock of what we have done and what we are going to do from now onwards.

This is important because our disposition to welcoming the Lord take place through our ways of doing things, our desire for conversion and holiness, which shapes our lives more to that of Christ who showers his love, mercy and compassion to all.

This is what the readings of this season call our attention to, especially in the two-fold coming of Christ as we have it in today’s readings. In the first reading today, we heard the prophet Isaiah saying: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.

And we heard St. Paul in our second reading saying: brethren, you know what hour it is now, how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For our salvation is even nearer than it was when we were converted. The night is far gone, the daylight is at hand. Let us give up all the things we prefer to do under the cover of the dark; let us arm ourselves and appear in the light.

Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day: not in revelling and drunkenness, no more promiscuity or licentiousness, and no more quarrelling or jealousy. Let us put on the armour of Christ and make no provision for the flesh.

While in the Gospel, the Lord Jesus urges us to be awake at all times, for our salvation is very near, so that we will not be taken by surprise and unprepared. He said: As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be when the Son of Man comes. For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept all away. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes. Then of two men in the fields one is taken, one left; of two women at the millstone grinding, one is taken, one left.

Here, we can see how life was going on normally when the flood consumed them. The people were engaged in their everyday activities, when the disaster struck. No extraordinary warning, no premonition, no time to plan an escape. So too the Son of Man will come suddenly and unexpectedly. Our times certainly sound very much like Noah’s days, where everyone seems so busy and distracted, unable to concentrate on what is really important.

But Jesus is warning us today that the time for decision can catch us unawares. He insists that with a real sense of urgency, we need to take our lives seriously. For there are many deceivers in the world who are making us too comfortable with the things of this passing world at the expense of heavenly things.

Dear friends, today we are called to be ready, we are called to repentance, we are called to embrace the new life the Lord is offering us. We are called to a life of constant struggle towards perfection. If we have not yet trusted in Christ Jesus as our Saviour, we should do so now for tomorrow may be too late.

If there are ugly behaviours and sins we are yet to give up, the time to do that is now. Jesus tells us that we will not have any warning signs of the coming day of judgment any more than the preaching of the Gospel, for there will be no time to repent when that day comes.

This is what this season of Advent is all about and the Church is offering us another opportunity to encounter the Lord personally and to make that encounter a permanent experience. We should place our hope in Christ, for while there is hope, there is life.

For it is because of the Lord that we can hope once again, knowing that beyond the sufferings of humanity due to sin and death, there is Light that dispels the falsehoods of evil and the despair of darkness that covers the whole world.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we embrace this season in expectation of the coming of Christ your Son, may the Holy Spirit inspire us to have the right disposition that will enable us to embrace the Lord when he comes. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday and God bless you.

Homily For Saturday Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 29th November, 2025

 

Readings: Dan. 7:15-27; Ps. Dan. 3:82-87; Luke:21:34-36

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

BE CAREFUL WITH THE THINGS OF THIS PASSING WORLD OR YOUR HEART BE LED ASTRAY

The things of this world are so captivating that if we are not careful, we will be like a foolish traveller who, having encountered a pleasant garden, forgets to continue towards his destination.

This is exactly what Jesus is trying to draw our attention to in our Gospel passage today when he said: Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth.

Here Jesus is reprimanding us concerning the danger of attaching ourselves so deeply to the things of this passing world. For we are often interested in the external beauty of things around us while neglecting the essence of life. We are interested only in worldly goods and not the things of the heart like justice, mercy, love and compassion.

So Jesus is telling us to change our ugly ways of life, for it is time for us to look into our lives and examine ourselves to know whether we have been living in accordance with God’s will, or whether we have fallen astray. Then, we can also look forward towards the life that is to come, which God has promised us through his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Moreover, what becomes of us after the coming of our Lord is what the prophet Daniel in our first reading is talking about when he said: All sovereignty and kingship, and the splendours of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Most High. His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty and every empire will serve and obey him.’

Dear friends, we must not let the cares of the things of this passing world rob us of the grace of heaven since we believe that our true homeland is in heaven. But how are we preparing to embrace our heavenly home?

Today, people hardly reflect on the coming of Christ, which was so strong in the early days of the Christian movement, leaving a strong impression on the disciples of Christ. So like the servants awaiting their master’s return, we are called to be ready and to watch at all times for the day of the Lord which will come at the hour we do not know.

Thus, we are to be prepared knowing that our most important ‘treasure’ is our heavenly home which God has promised to give us. Therefore, the best thing we can do with our worldly possessions is to use them for the good of others, especially the poor, since we are responsible and accountable for one another’s welfare.

This divine generosity is meant to help us in preparation for the coming of Christ. Remember what really matters in life is our capacity and readiness to receive what God has in store for us in heaven.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we continue our struggles with the ugly events of this passing world, may you continue to guide us and strengthen us in our journey of life and help us to endure our trials and challenges, for you alone are our source of strength, hope and fulfilment in life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed weekend.

Homily For Friday Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 28th November, 2025

 

Readings: Dan. 7:2-14; Ps.Dan.3:53-59; Luke:21:29-33

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

KNOW THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NEAR 

St. John of the Cross, one of the doctors and mystics of the Church, says that: the further you withdraw from earthly things, the closer you approach heavenly things, and the more you find yourself in God. This advice will be very helpful as we come to the end of this liturgical year and are about to embrace the season of Advent, when the Church calls our attention to the need to be prepared for the coming of the Lord, and most of our readings draw our attention to this.

 

Thus, in our Gospel passage today, Jesus tells us about the passing away of the things of this world and the dreadful events associated with it in relation to the end-time events. He illustrates the signs of this event with the story of the fig tree, telling us to take notice of the signs of the times for they will help us to discern between what is of true value and what is passing away. 

Here Jesus presents the final recommendations of the end-time. He insists that we should pay rapt attention to the signs nature is giving us concerning the end-time events, that these signs should lead us to have hope founded firmly on the word of God which drives away fear and despair, knowing that the kingdom of God is very near to us.

 

And this is what we have in our first reading today, where we heard about the vision of the prophet Daniel talking about the passing away of the kingdoms and things of this world and the coming of God’s Kingdom when he said: I gazed into the visions of the night. And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man. He came to one of great age and was led into his presence. On him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship, and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants. His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

 

Dear friends, heaven and earth will pass away but God's Word will never pass away. So this new month we are reminded once again that all those who refuse to believe in God after hearing his words but choose to follow the devil and his false prophets will be destroyed and defeated completely. For he and his agents and those who follow him will be thrown into the burning lake of eternal darkness. God’s faithful people will triumph victoriously in heaven.

 

But how are we embracing the word of God we hear at this period? What signs are we seeing around us today? How can we interpret the signs of this time, the signs that tell us that this world is passing away? Do these signs make us dread the second coming of the Lord or joyfully embrace it in anticipation? Remember, the words of Jesus are the truth that will never pass away. Therefore, stand erect, and hold your heads high, because our liberation is near at hand.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, humanity has been greatly deceived by the devil, who has made us so attached to the things of this passing world. As we embrace your words this season, may our souls once again long and yearn for you our God, the living God. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you

Homily For Thursday Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 27th November, 2025

Readings: Dan. 6:11-27; Ps. Dan. 3:46-52; Luke:21:20-28

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

STAND FIRM FOR OUR REDEMPTION IS DRAWING NEAR

As we continue to reflect on the great event of the coming of the Lord. Jesus, in our Gospel passage today, continues his warnings concerning what will happen to us and the beautiful things of this passing world, which he illustrated very well by telling us what will eventually happen to the great city of Jerusalem in relation to what will happen at the end of all things.

This passage contains the truth that we need to be reminded of often. That is, the need for us to be prepared for the day of the Lord despite all the beautiful and seductive things we encounter in this world.

Thus, as the great and holy city of Jerusalem was besieged and destroyed by the Romans in less than four decades after the death and resurrection of Christ, so will the things of this world pass away including those who are attached to them. When these things begin to take place, we should stand erect, hold our heads high, because our liberation is near at hand 

We will understand it better when we reflect on our first reading today, how God delivered Daniel from the Lion’s den but let the Lions completely crush the bones of those who sought to destroy him.

Seeing what happened, King Darius then wrote to men of all nations, peoples and languages throughout the world saying, ‘May peace be always with you! I decree: in every kingdom of my empire let all tremble with fear before the God of Daniel.

Dear friends, there is no doubt that there are great signs of the end-time event, but this should not be an occasion for fear; rather, it is a period for intense preparations. Nonetheless, for the righteous, it is a period of joy and happiness since our redemption from the powers of evil of this passing world is close at hand.

Although we do not know when, Jesus assures us that he will return in power and great glory. Therefore, we should take heed for our redemption is drawing near.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we make efforts every day to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ your Son, give us the grace and courage to remain steadfast even in the midst of all the crises in our country today. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Wednesday Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 26th November, 2025

Readings: Dan. 5:1-6.13-14.16-17.23-28; Ps. Dan. 3:40-45; Luke:21:12-19

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE POWER OF ENDURANCE IN TIMES OF PERSECUTION

Everywhere in the world, we see and hear of human wickedness, intimidation, manipulations, kidnapping, killing and real activities for the sake of power, fame, money and lustful desires. And anyone who tries to resist, challenge, correct, change or stop these ugly attitudes, becomes an object of elimination.

Yet in the midst of all these ugly situations, we are required to continue to speak about God’s goodness, love, compassion and forgiveness. A very difficult task to do, especially when we are suffering as victims of this ugly situation.

Thus, Jesus in our Gospel passage today declares that his followers are going to be persecuted on account of bearing witness to his name, a reality that will put even our most cherished relationships to the test: we will be betrayed and persecuted by our closest relations and friends. However, we should not prepare any defence, because God himself shall give us eloquence and wisdom that none of our opponents will be able to resist or contradict.

Here, Jesus not only describes what his followers will have to endure but also offers assurance that he will support them and make them strong. So he recommends that there comes a time in the spiritual life of his followers when they will have to choose to endure, rather than despair. By their endurance, they will gain their lives.

Hence, a period of persecution is a time to bear witness through our endurance, courage and tenacity. Just like Daniel in our first reading today, who courageously bears great witness before the king by interpreting the mystery of the message God sent to the King who has defiled the sacred vessels.

Dear friends, the circumstances in which Jesus invites us to share the Good News are quite challenging and difficult, especially now that the world is passing through difficult times, as families, societies, countries, and churches are badly affected by the economic, social, security and political situations around us of which their troubles and conflicts are affecting the whole world.

But just as Jesus was not abandoned by his Father in his hour of need, we too will not be abandoned in this time of difficulties. For God knows what we are passing through now, and in due time, he will give us victory, for Jesus says that our endurance will win us our lives.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we struggle with the ugly situation in our world today, grant us the courage and strength to persevere in witnessing to the Gospel, especially in these difficult times, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Tuesday Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 25th November, 2025

Readings Dan.2: 31-45; Ps. Dan. 3:35-39; Luke:21:5-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHY WE MUST BE PREPARED 

As we approach the season of Advent, we are reminded of the need to be well-prepared for the coming of God’s kingdom. This is evident in our readings these days and more so in our Gospel passage today which presents to us warnings about the end times. 

Here we see how those who were listening to Jesus were anxious to know what signs to look out for concerning the End Times event. But the timing of such an event is God’s secret. 

So, today Jesus warns us not to waste our time seeking signs; rather, we should be prepared, we should remain firm in faith. He also warns us about following those who claim to know when the end is coming. 

We may see many of the signs written in Scripture happening already in our time, and people are terrified, looking for someone to show them the way. 

Jesus is the only Way, the Truth and the Life. For without him in our lives, we may be lost, because the future lies in his hands and nothing can destroy or hurt us as long as we remain faithful to his commands.

Dear friends, we must be prepared for the end-time event, let us not be deceived by the things of this world. So, our lives as Christians demand that we be alert and ready. We should be prepared at all times for this world is passing away. Hence, we are called to abstain from things that will separate us from our God. 

Today, we are called to look into our inner being, our interior life, in order to embrace the life of holiness and self-control that will help us to be more prepared to do the will of God just like Daniel in our first reading today, who courageously told the vision of King Nebuchadnezzar and interpreted it in order to help the King be more prepared to embrace the will and plan of God.

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, we often fail to listen to your warnings concerning our excessive desire for the things of this passing world and the need for us to prepare and be ready for your coming. Give us the grace and wisdom to be well prepared to stand before you whenever you call us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.