Homily For Saturday Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 31st January, 2026. The Memorial of St. John Bosco

 

Readings: 2 Sam. 12:1-7.10-17; Ps.51; Mark 4:35-41

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHY ARE YOU AFRAID? PEACE! BE STILL!! SAYS THE LORD

In the scriptures, we often hear stories of how people struggle with heavy storms as they are assailed by the sea. Today, our fishermen and the mariners who are involved in the sea business can tell us better what it means to be on the sea during heavy storms. A situation where the need for a Saviour is highly anticipated. Such was the case with the disciples of Jesus in our Gospel passage today. It is a story about the disciples' panic and fear of perishing as a result of the heavy storm that is affecting their boat.

As this heavy storm was about to break their boat, the disciples could not believe that Jesus was asleep while they were afraid and needed help from anywhere. So they went to him and woke him saying, ‘Teacher, do you not care if we perish? And Jesus said: “Peace! Be still!!” And the Storm ceased and there was a great calm. And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, how is it that you have no faith. The men were astounded and said, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him.’

This story signifies God's chosen people on a transit of faith, frightened by the guilt of sin and wounded by the waves of the sea, the abode of evil forces and monsters of this world. The boat can be taken as a symbol of the faith of the Church and the people of God struggling with the world’s principalities and powers, while the storms are symbols of heavy persecutions and sufferings by the people of God. And Jesus is saying: why are you so afraid, you men of little faith.

Dear friends, there is no doubt that there is an active presence of evil in the world, which manifests itself in different forms. So everyday is a struggle against the malice of the evil ones, and people are doing everything they can to overcome them. Today, Jesus is inviting us into his boat of life, thereby calling us to journey on this boat with an unwavering faith and a repentant heart, because the world is being tossed around by the waves of the evil forces, the enemies of humanity. And it is only God who can subdue it, for he has promised to restore us back to himself.

This is exactly what we heard about David in our first reading today, for after David had committed grave sins against Uriah and God, the prophet Nathan confronted him about this ugly situation. David felt very remorseful about his actions and asked God for mercy. And this the Lord granted him and promised to restore him and calmed down the storms of destruction in his household. 

This is what we see in the life of St. John Bosco whose memorial we celebrate today for despite the challenges and oppositions he faced in life, he remained committed to his work as a priest and made great impacts in the lives the youths of his time and even in our time for through many people who sharing in his spirituality, founded the Order of the Salesians of Don Bosco, one of the great religious orders in our society today.

Therefore, I don't know the great storms of doubt and fear in your soul? I don’t know if you are under the power of the evil forces of this world. All I know is that with great faith in God, the heavy storms in our lives will become calm. So, why are you afraid? Peace! Be Still!! Says the Lord. Why not present your challenges of life to Jesus, for he will surely rebuke the violent storms in our hearts so that we can experience once again the calmness of his peace and joy.

LET US PRAY: Lord God. As we struggle every day to overcome the ugly situation around us, grant that the violent storms and waves of sin and bondage in our lives, our families and the world, will end in a wonderful calm that brings peace in our souls. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful and joyful weekend.

Homily For Friday, Third Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 30th January, 2026

 

Readings: 2Sam. 11:1-4.5-10.13-17; Ps  51; Mark 4:26-34

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

MAKE YOUR HEART A FERTILE SOIL FOR GOD’S KINGDOM 

In the scriptures, using a simple story to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson has always been one of the characteristics of Jesus when addressing the people on matters of great importance. By couching his teaching in parables, Jesus made certain points much clearer to his audience. This is evident in our Gospel passage today, where he told us the parable of the mustard seed, using it to describe the nature of God’s kingdom, which he came to establish in the hearts of humanity. 

Here, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed growing from the Word of God spoken to the hearts of his few disciples which will grow and spread to the hearts of all humanity. This analogy focuses on the size of the seed that grows to become a mighty tree that gives shelter and salvation to all.

More so, Jesus is not just speaking of the size of the mustard seed, but also the faith of the people as that of a mustard seed. Telling us that just as the mustard seed responded to the word of God and grows into a mighty tree, so will the faith of the people grow into a great vessel through hearing and doing the Word of God, and so build up the kingdom of God.

Nevertheless, these two analogies of the mustard seed symbolise the humble beginnings of the Christian faith, which is well watered by the Holy Spirit to grow and give life and hospitality to all the people of the world. Hence, in building the kingdom of God, we are reminded that we can be tempted in different ways just like David in our first reading, who when tempted by the beauty of an innocent woman, failed to control himself and so fell into the sin of adultery which led him to commit another sin of murder as he tried to cover up his sins. 

This very single mistake caused great damage to the mission of David and to his household.  So we should learn from this costly mistake of David. We should not give in to temptations and lost of the eyes. Rather, we should learn to remain faithful until our souls are saved in our heavenly kingdom. 

Dear friends, we need to let our knowledge of God’s kingdom grow like that of a mustard seed, knowing that in the world today we have different kinds of seeds. But the question remains, what kind of seeds are we embracing and watering in our lives today? Are we watering valuable mustard seeds of faith, love, holiness, hospitality, obedience, and charity that will lead us to God’s kingdom? Or are we watering weeds that are distracting us from attaining heaven? 

We must stop watering such weeds, let us feed ourselves with valuable mustard seeds of virtues and values. For when we feed and water such values, we will grow stronger like the mustard tree where people may find solace and so build up God’s kingdom. 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as you sow the seeds of your word in our hearts, give us the grace to grow them into the mustard tree of faith, holiness and hospitality and by so doing build up your heavenly kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Thursday Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 29th January, 2026

 

Readings: 2 Sam. 7:18-19.24-29; Ps.132; Mark 4:21-25

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

HOW ARE YOU USING YOUR EARS TO LISTEN?

The ears, as we know, are organs of hearing which consist of the pinna. It is a gift from God, through which we have the faculty of perceiving sounds and recognising things in an auditory way. To exercise the faculty of this organ effectively we must learn to use it to listen attentively to information. For the world, no doubt, is full of noise, echoing different things in our minds through our ears.

But what are we feeding our ears with? How do we use these organs? How has this organ helped us in our spiritual life despite this noisy world? How have we managed the noise in our lives, in families and society, which distracts us from listening to God? What are the things we hear or listen to? The Word of God that we hear every day - how has it developed our relationship with God and our neighbour?

Therefore, when Jesus said in our Gospel reading today, “he who has ears let him hear”, he is referring to our ability to listen to God's Word and act on it even in the midst of this noisy world. Thus, what Jesus means is that the person who seeks to gain some spiritual insight into what he is saying will have that insight increased when they listen, whereas whoever does not listen to him will end up in spiritual ignorance. To avoid this, we need to learn from King David, who, after Nathan had spoken to him, went in and, seated before the Lord and listening to him, he said: ‘Who am I, O Lord, and what is my House, that you have led me as far as this?

Dear friends, by listening, hearing and following Jesus, we grow in familiarity with his voice and hear him more. And by so doing we make Jesus the light of our lives placed on the lampstand to give light and insight to our souls as individuals, family and society, illuminating all the darkness around us.

 LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, our ears are a gift from you, help us to use them properly. And as we carry out our activities today, may our ears hear the consoling words of Jesus guiding and directing us towards the light of his presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Remain blessed.

Homily For Wednesday of The Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 28th January, 2026. The Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas

 

Readings: 2Tim 1:1-8; Ps. 96; Mark 4:1-20

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

TO WHICH DO YOU HEART BELONGS

A good disposition and positive response towards whatever we do in life has a way of building up our confidence and interior life, and this of course, leads us to great success. Little wonder in our Gospel passage today, Jesus uses the parable of the sower to describe different kinds of responses to God's Word. 

He explained the parable by pointing out our different dispositions towards the Word of God in relation to our interior life. This will help us to know whether our soul is like dry rocky ground or whether we regularly seek to nourish our soul and prepare it to receive the holy Word of God. So we are called to create a fertile disposition within our hearts to do the will of God.

In the scriptures, many hear the words of Jesus and do not understand them because of poor disposition, for instance, the religious leaders who are against his teachings, the crowds that responded positively to Jesus, especially to his miracles of healing, yet turned against him at the end and demanded his crucifixion. 

Some disciples, such as Judas, might also be included among those who fall away when trouble or persecution came on account of the Word. The rich young man, who was unable to part with his possessions, provides a clear example of one who hears the word, but the love for the passing things of this world and the lure of wealth choked the word, and it yielded nothing. 

But what about the good soil? These are those who hear the Word, understand it and internalise it. They indeed bear fruit and yield an abundant harvest. Our mother Mary and the disciples, excluding Judas, are good examples of such people. Therefore, the different kinds of ground on which the seed falls represent different ways by which we receive the Word of God. 

Dear friends, our hearts are the fields in which the Word of God is scattered. But, to which do our hearts belong? The pathway, the rocky ground, the thorns or the good soil? Whichever one, we are called to have the right disposition and a positive response to the Word of God. We are to pay attention and take some time to appreciate God’s Word in our lives by allowing it to bear solid roots in us so that we can bear great fruits that will manifest in our interior life.

This is what we see in the life of St. Thomas Aquinas whose memorial we celebrate. For he was one of the famous theologians, who understood what it means to sow the seed of faith in people so as to build the kingdom of God. Thomas is remembered for his great work, the Summa Theologiae and many other contributions, writings and works which still influenced and inspired so many people.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, oftentimes our disposition and response towards your Word is so poor. As we listen to your Words today, through the intercessions of St Thomas Aquinas give us grace to remain open to receiving your Words, to bear fruit abundantly. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Have a favourable day.

Homily For Tuesday Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 27th January, 2026

 

Readings: 2 Samuel 6:12-15.17-19; Ps.24; Mark 3:31-35

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHERE DO YOU TRULY BELONG

Reflecting on my relationship with God, family and neighbours, I asked myself which one comes first, because all are so important. As we know, having a sense of belonging is fundamental to human happiness and well-being, as it gives value to our lives and helps us cope with painful emotions. Hence, we often want to belong with one another, to our friends and families, to our culture or from one association to another. However, one of the most common and safest places to belong is our families, especially when it is rooted in the love of God and our neighbours.

So, today in our Gospel passage, Jesus speaks about belonging to his family and his relationship with members of his family when he said: ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.’ In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of two ways the people around him could be identified as members of his family. Firstly, he talks about those who belong to the family of his birth, that is, his mother, father and relations. Then his other family is made up of those who do the will of God.

 This family, he says, is his true family, where doing the will of God is the only way of belonging to this family. This is not to say that Jesus is rejecting his family; to do so would contradict his teaching about loving one's parents and loving one's neighbours. However, Jesus is using this opportunity to emphasise that our relationship with God is more important, and this should depend on our total commitment to doing the will of God through him.

Surprisingly, Mary the mother of Jesus belongs to both sides of the family, for she gave birth to Jesus and was also the first to do the will of God when she said, “Let it be done unto me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). For this reason she is the first disciple of Jesus and a model for all Christians.

Thus, to be a Christian or a disciple is to enter into the family of Jesus and embrace a new relationship with God and with one another for this is the most important place to belong. All other bonds, including those of blood, should be considered secondary. Because, belonging to God is fundamental to our basic relationships, before all human relations. We belong first to God before belonging to our families, after which we all go back to God where we ultimately belong, which is determined by how we have been doing God’s will here on earth.

Dear friends, where do we ultimately and truly belong? As Christians, we claim to belong to God, do our attitudes and decisions show that we truly belong to God? Do we not often commit ourselves to things contrary to the faith we professed in God? Can we say that we are truly doing the will of God? What have we been doing with the word of God we hear every day? What kind of fruit are we bearing in our family and society? How has the word of God changed our lives and disposition towards our family? How has the word of God challenged and propelled us to love God and our neighbours? The answers to these questions are blowing in the wind.

Today we are called to be more practical and attentive towards obeying the commandment of God. We are called to put into action the words we hear every day. Let us learn from David in our first reading today, who, knowing the importance of doing the will of God, went and brought the ark of God up from Obed-edom’s house to the Citadel of David with great rejoicing, with a sacrifice of praise.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, today we are called to do your will always to truly belong to that true family of Jesus where the love of you and our neighbour unites us together. Grant that we may learn to do your will and be good collaborators with others in the mission and vocation entrusted to us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Monday of The Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 26th January, 2026. The Memorial of SS. Timothy and Titus

 

(Today is MY BIRTHDAY, DO PRAY FOR ME)

Readings: 2Tim 1:1-8; Ps. 96;; Mark 3:22-30

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

FAN INTO A FLAME THE GIFT GOD GAVE TO YOU

One of the gifts of God to us is the gift of discernment, which enables us to know and distinguish between good and evil spirits. This gift is extremely important to every leader's office. However, it is sad and unacceptable when a leader decides to misuse this gift out of envy, jealousy, and ignorance. This is the attitude of the scribes in our Gospel passage today.

For we heard how Jesus had delivered a man possessed by an evil spirit. The spirit had bound his tongue and made him mute. But when Jesus had cast out the demon from the man, and the man spoke, some scribes who watched this great miracle as it happened said that it was through the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that he was able to cast the devil out.

This is because they were adamant in their opposition against Jesus, which was propelled by envy and jealousy. That is why they were unable to look beyond their narrow-mindedness and stubbornness in insisting that their way was the true way, while others, like our Lord Jesus, were wrong. But Jesus, as usual, used the opportunity to correct them by pointing out the mistakes in their argument.

Thus, telling us that it does not make sense for the demons to be fighting one another and so be divided among themselves. Because any house that divides within itself can not stand, and as we know the evil ones are always united in their plans to bring about destruction in human activities.

So, it is obvious that the scribes know the truth but were not ready to accept it rather the chose to deny the work of God, that why Jesus concluded the gospel by saying that: everyone who says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

From this frightening passage, Jesus reveals to us that sins, no matter how grievous, can be forgiven, but there is a particular sin that will not be forgiven. That is, the sin against the Holy Spirit. But what is this sin against the Holy Spirit? And why would it not be forgiven? The sin against the Holy Spirit is rooted in one's outright rejection of God’s grace of salvation offered to us through the Holy Spirit‘s incessant invitations and warnings.

This happens when the will of a person is hardened against God’s mercy and goodness. This is so because, it is the sinner himself who rejected God’s forgiveness. And since God respects the freedom which He has given us, He respects a sinner’s decision to firmly refuse to be forgiven.

Dear friends, we are called today not to be like the scribes who, out of pride and ignorance, denied the power of God over spiritual realities and so sin against the Holy Spirit. Rather we should make proper use of the gift of discernment which the Lord has given us. We must not let envy, jealousy and overambition make us deny the truth about the spiritual realities we experience from the Lord.

We must not let the devil succeed in sowing the spirit of division among us. We should also ask God to endow us with the spirit of discernment and truth, especially during this period that we are often faced with the ugly and sad attitude of human deception all over the world.

Hence, St. Paul in our first reading today encourages Timothy as well as all of us saying: “Fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control. So you are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord”

So, let us learn from SS. Timothy and Titus, whose memorial we celebrate today. They were servants who truly understood what it means to belong to the family of Jesus and have the right disposition towards his Word. For they were both close collaborators of St. Paul who entrusted to them the care of God’s faithful, of which they were known to be among the first Bishops of the Church. They were great servants of God with great commitment and dedication to doing the will of the Lord and suffering martyrdom for their faith.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we struggle every day with the manipulation of the evil ones, give us the grace to overcome them, may we never be misled by the devil and all of his forces, as they often attempt to sow divisions and dissensions among us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, 25th January, 2026

 
The Sunday of the Enthronement of the Word of God.

Readings: Is. 9:1-4; Ps. 27; 1Cor.1:10-13.17; Matt. 4:12-23

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHAT IS MY EXPERIENCE WITH JESUS THE LIVING WORD OF GOD

Today, being the third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, we are called to celebrate the Word of God. On 30th September, 2019, Pope Francis in his Apostolic Letter Aperuit Illis, declared and instituted “A Sunday for the Word of God”, which is to be celebrated every third Sunday in Ordinary Time of the Church’s Liturgical Year. This is of great importance and significance, as it is the light and strength of our faith.

The purpose of this declaration is to remind all Christ faithful that the Word of God, as contained in the scriptures, is vital and integral in the development of our faith in God. The Word of God, in this case, does not just refer to the Scriptures as we know them, but also refers to Christ Himself as our Lord and Saviour, the Divine Word made Incarnate.

Hence, our readings today emphasised making the word of God the light of our lives. In the first reading, Prophet Isaiah talked about the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, which were conquered by the Assyrians in 732 BC, and dwelt in the darkness of oppression. So he predicted how God would liberate his people who live and walk in the deep darkness of oppression, how they would be set free by the great light of God’s glory.

These words of the Prophet Isaiah were fulfilled in our Gospel passage today, where the chosen people of God who dwell in the lands of Naphtali and Zebulun failed to drive out the Gentiles that are in their midst, they preferred to live with them in the darkness of corruption, sin and shame. These are the people to whom Jesus brought his ministry of the words of light in the midst of the darkness that surrounded them. The presence of Jesus brought them great light.

Here, Matthew is saying that God has chosen Galilee of the Gentiles to be the place where His light will shine. And wherever light and darkness are used in scriptures, it connotes the power of good over evil, order over chaos, security over danger, joy over sorrow, truth over falsehood, life over death and salvation over condemnation. Though, Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee, his mission will be extended to the whole world.

Hence, he called his disciples, who would be instruments to extend his mission to the whole world. Jesus’ invitation to become disciples offers them the opportunity to observe him closely daily. And by doing so, they will learn more from him to become familiar with his ways of doing things. They will unconsciously copy his manner of speaking, his gestures, his dealings with people. They will see how he solves problems and counters opposition. So that gradually, they will become like Jesus in thought, word and deed.

This speaks powerfully about discipleship, which the people of Corinth failed to understand, as we heard in our second reading. Hence they divided the body of Christ into groups of instrumental personnel of Christ, namely: Paul and Apollos. This is due to a lack of good knowledge of the scriptures. Thus, St. Paul, while reminding them that all were baptised into one Christ, said: I appeal to you, brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to make up the differences between you, and instead of disagreeing among yourselves, to be united again in your belief and practice. Therefore, there can only be one loyalty, that is to Christ alone, who is the Word Made Flesh and dwells among us.

Dear friends, the question we need to ask ourselves is: What is my relationship with Jesus, the Living Word of God made flesh, who dwells among us? What is my experience with the Word of God? Have I truly encountered the Lord in His Word? What is my response towards the Word of God we hear every day? How much of this Word dwells in us? How have we experienced and encountered God in His Word? How have I communicated my experience with the Word of God to humanity? How often do I reverence the Lord in His Word? How often have I shied away from speaking about God and His Word in my daily conversations with other people? How often do I obey the instructions of the Lord through his Words

Brethren, the emphasis on the Word of God today is very important to all of us the faithful people of God. For if we are to follow Christ faithfully, we must cultivate the habit of studying the scriptures because the Word of God is our daily sustenance and the source of our strength and faith. We should make the Word of God the guiding principle of our lives. For in the scriptures we find the strength and courage to promote good over evil, order over chaos, security over danger, joy over sorrow, truth over falsehood, life over death and salvation over condemnation.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we enthroned your Word in our lives, our families and in your Church today, grant we pray, that through the power of the Holy Spirit, we may come to discover the power and the efficacy of the scriptures in our lives as individuals, families and community of God’s people. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed and lovely Sunday.