Homily For Monday, Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 24th August, 2026. Feast of St. Bartholomew

 

Readings: Rev. 21:9-14, Ps. 145, John 1:45-51

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

BECOMING A PERSON OF INTEGRITY LIKE ST. BARTHOLOMEW IN THE WORLD FULL OF CORRUPTION AND DECEPTION

Reflecting on the ugly situation in our society today, where morals and virtuous actions are no longer valued and fashionable, as society seems to be living, promoting and celebrating artful deception, dishonesty, corruption and fraudsters. Integrity has become a virus to be eliminated as quickly as possible while heroes of deception and fraudsters are honoured and celebrated.

Today, we are called to change this ugly attitude and learn from St. Bartholomew, whose feast we celebrate today. A man of integrity whom Jesus, in our Gospel passage, gave a great compliment when he met him and said, “Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile.” For there was no deception in him. Jesus could see right away that he was forthright, honest, open, plainspoken, straightforward, innocent and unpretentious.

Bartholomew is commonly known as Nathaniel in the Gospel according to John. A name which means “gift of God” and tradition has it that he preached the Gospel to Armenia, where he embraced martyrdom by being skinned alive before being beheaded. He is now known to be the patron of butchers, plasterers, and tanners, and he is also invoked to intercede in cases of convulsions.

Bartholomew thought that nothing good could come out of Nazareth. Still, when he encountered Jesus, he exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the son of God”, Jesus acknowledged his faith and promised him that he would see the heaven-opened angels ascending and descending. This can be like what the angel revealed in our first reading, saying: ‘Come here, and I will show you the bride that the Lamb has married.’

We heard that the spirit took him to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed him Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond.

This teaches us that we should not underrate people because of their humble background. But like Phillip, who introduced Jesus to Nathaniel, we are called to share our experience of Jesus with those we encounter in life, no matter their background and ideology.

Dear friends, the world needs people of integrity like St. Bartholomew, for we are called to imitate him. So, let us be that sign of integrity in a world full of corruption and deceit. Let our everyday encounter with Jesus help to transform us, and by so doing we can transform the ugly situation in our societies and the world at large through our witnessing.

Therefore, let us, like Bartholomew, be courageous and exemplary in our actions so that, living by our faith and doing what the Lord has commanded us to do, we may become great instruments that will win more people and save many more souls for the Lord.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, today we are reminded of the need to live a life of integrity in a world full of deception and corruption. Grant us through the intercession of St Bartholomew, the grace to embrace your word and experience your presence in our lives and so change our ugly and sinful ways of life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you uncommon favour from the Lord this week.

Homily for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, 23rd August, 2026

 

Readings: Is. 22:19-23, Ps. 138, Rom. 11:33-36, Matt. 16:13-20

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

UNDERSTANDING THE TRUE IDENTITY OF JESUS AND HIS AUTHORITY IN THE CHURCH

As social beings, we often make friends whom we can confide in and entrust with our innermost thoughts and plans. But this friendship does not come automatically. There is always a moment when one will want to know if his or her friends can really be trusted, if they truly know and understand who we are and what we represent.

This is the situation between Jesus and his disciples in our Gospel passage this Sunday, when Jesus asked them saying: Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’

Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld shall not prevail against it.

Here, we see how Peter expressed his personal conviction about who Jesus is. He did not need to quote any authority, because his response showed clear, sincere knowledge of who he professed Jesus to be. Hence, Jesus stressed that Peter's faith is a gift from the Father when he said: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.

This is because Peter’s gift of faith comes from his personal response to Jesus. Thus, our faith requires that we give a personal answer to the question: who is Jesus to me personally? For it is not enough to quote the teachings and Catechism of the Church about our faith or the teachings of other theologians and preachers or to respond only from the head, but from the heart that is convinced of what it believes in.

Today most people are following Jesus without knowing who Jesus truly represents. Some people find it very difficult to embrace the teaching of Jesus because they lack the faith and conviction about his personality, even when Jesus has revealed himself to us through his great miracles and teachings. The fact is that Jesus wants us to develop a divine way of looking at things; he wants us to know him deep down in our souls, so that we can profess our faith with deeper meaning and conviction.

This is why he told Simon, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." So, the faith given to Peter by God is the rock on which Jesus built his Church. And this royal authority is what Jesus entrusted to His Church through St. Peter and his successors, of whom our current Pope, Pope Leo, is the 266th successor of St. Peter.

More so, we can see a clear similarity between Simeon Peter and Eliakim in our first reading. Eliakim standing as a prefigure of St. Peter, was the royal steward and the precursor who was appointed as a great Royal Steward of King Hezekiah. For just as Hezekiah was the king of Judah and the master of Eliakim, so has the Lord God appointed St. Peter as the new steward to oversee His Church and His flock.

Little wonder St. Paul, in our second reading today, tells us how great and immense the wisdom and the knowledge of God are, for all that exists comes from him. Thus, referring to the fullness of truth and the wisdom of God, which he has revealed to His Church through the Holy Spirit. And the Apostles, having received the Holy Spirit are to preserve this wisdom and pass it on to their successors from one generation to another.

Dear friends, having heard the teachings and works of Jesus in the scriptures and traditions of the Church, the question remains: Do you really know Jesus? What can you say about him? Who is Jesus to you? What is your personal experience of Jesus? How has your knowledge of Jesus helped other people to come to faith in Jesus? Today we are called to really examine our conscience to know where we are concerning our faith as Christians.

We are called today to develop a divine way of understanding the mysteries of God, but not rejecting them because we do not understand them. We are also called to be convinced of who we are and the need to truly unite together in God and His Church, entrusted to St. Peter, of which the gates of underworld shall not prevail. Therefore, let us turn towards God once again with all our hearts and devote our whole lives to seeking to know Him more and more.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, you revealed to St. Peter the true identity of Jesus, your Son; help us to profess our faith with deeper meaning and conviction. And as we experience the power of your presence, may we embrace more deeply your sacred mysteries. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday and remain blessed 

Homily: Saturday, Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 22nd August, 2026. The Memorial of Our Lady Mother and Queen

 

Readings: Ezek. 43:1-7, PS.85, Matt. 23:1-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

UNDERSTANDING THE BEST WAY TO EVANGELIZE IN OUR SOCIETIES TODAY

The difference between the early Christian community and present-day Christianity is the mode of witnessing. The early Christian community practically preached the word of God by witnessing with their life, while present-day Christianity are witnessing by preaching the word of God aloud with megaphones and all media channels and platforms, without sufficient practice of what we preach.

This unhealthy attitude towards our mission is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today, when he said to the people: “The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do what they tell you and listen to what they say; but do not be guided by what they do: since they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but will not lift a finger to move them”.

Here, Jesus made it clear that we should listen to what the authorities are saying to us. However, we should not be such people who do not put into practice what we teach. So, as Christians, we need to start practising what we preach; we need to do more witnessing than preaching. It is not enough to recall principles, state intentions, point to blatant injustice and utter prophetic denunciation.

These kinds of words lack the real meaning of our faith unless they are accompanied by effective action manifested in our way of life. This is what we see in the life of the prophet Ezekiel in our first reading today, who, having experienced the glory of God, bore witness to it with his life and constantly admonished the chosen people of God while acknowledging the authority of God.

Similarly, we need to acknowledge that our authority as Christians comes from God, for we are not to pride ourselves as rabbis, teachers, pastors, or prophets in our own name. Rather our actions should reflect the paternity of God in the way we live and serve others. Therefore let us imitate Our Lady Mother and Queen whose memorial we celebrate today, for she is outstanding in word and deed, she is a perfect example of what it means to do the will of God, hence she was crowned Mother and Queen.

Dear friends, let us strive to follow the examples of faithfulness, dedication and total commitment to God of the prophet Ezekiel and Our Lady, for they put into practice the word of God they heard. Teaching us that it is not sufficient to speak; we have to practice. We are called not merely to hear God’s word but to daily put it into action.

Let our actions reflect what we preach. Though hearing or reading the Word is important, that is not enough. We must let the Word of God touch and shape our lives. For it is empty and useless if our lives do not reflect the Gospel, if we hear the words of Jesus and do not act on them.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, grant us, through the intercession of Our Lady, Mother and Queen, the grace to strive to practice what your word teaches us and so merit to share in your heavenly banquet. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a peaceful weekend.

Homily for Friday, Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 21st August 2026. The Memorial of St. Pius X

Readings: Ezek. 37:1-14, PS.107, Matt. 22:34-40

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

UNDERSTANDING AND APPLYING THE GREATEST COMMANDMENTS OF GOD IN OUR LIVES

As human beings, we always desire to know what is required of us in this life. This is even more serious when we face the realities of life, and then we wish to know what should be our first priority. What should be the most important thing to focus our energy on? What should become the foundation of all the things we need to do?

This is the deposition of the Pharisees and the Sadducees in our Gospel passage today, who came together and asked Jesus a question concerning which commandment is the greatest. In response Jesus reminded them of the 'Shema Israel' - שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל, the prayer that they knew and recite from their earliest years from which they learned that the most important thing in life is to love God with all their heart, and with all thy soul, and with all their mind; that is, with all the powers and the more noble faculties of the soul, the mind, the understanding, judgment, and will. Jesus then added that to love one’s neighbour is the second priority.

In other words, loving God with all our heart, with all our understanding and strength, and loving our neighbour as ourselves is what is required of us, and it is the foundation of all the things we have to do. And Jesus set the standard of love not just by the love he was able to show, but by the depth of love which he shows by dying and rising for our salvation.

An event that the prophet Ezekiel prophesied in our first reading, talking about the rising of the dried bones, which represents the ugly condition of the great soldiers of the chosen people of God, who are saying, " Our bones are dried up; our hope has gone; we are as good as dead.” But the Lord says, I am now going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves, my people, and lead you back to the soil of life again.

Dear friends, the question we really need to ask ourselves today is: do we truly love God and our neighbours? This is important because love is at the centre of all Jesus' teachings, for love is a gift from God to humanity. It is like stream water, so innocent and pure.

True love is not hidden; it radiates from the innermost being of a person who has experienced it. If we love God, then, we will see him in others and treat them justly and honourably. We will not hurt our neighbours but do our utmost to live in peace with them.

The truth is that the absence of love is the cause of all the problems in our world today, as most families exist by grace and not by love. Imagine how wonderful the world would be if we all loved one another. How I wish we could invest our time and resources in ensuring love and unity in our dealings with one another. Believe me, we will not only be fulfilling the first and greatest commandments of God, but we will be building a happy community.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, in you we found the fullness of love, for you made us to share in your love. Grant that we, through the intercession of St. Pius X, may truly love you and our neighbours and so conquer the world full of hatred, self-centeredness, greed and corruption. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily for Thursday, Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 20th August 2026. The Memorial of St. Bernard Abbot

Readings: Ezek. 36:23-28, Ps.51, Matt. 22:1-14

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DO NOT COME TO GOD’S HEAVENLY BANQUET WITHOUT A WEDDING GARMENT

 A songwriter, Miriam Therese Winter composed one of the hymns in our hymn book entitled 'I can not come to the banquet, which gives us the summary of our Gospel passage today and the first and last stanzas of this hymn say:

1. A certain man had a feast on his fine estate in town,

He laid a festive table and wore a wedding gown

He sent invitations to his neighbours far and wide

But when the meal was ready, each one of them replied!

CHORUS:

I can not come!

I cannot come to the banquet, don't trouble me now,

I have married a wife, I have bought me a cow,

I have fields and commitments that cost a pretty sum,

Pray hold me excused, I cannot come!

2. Now God has written a lesson for the rest of mankind,

If we're slow in responding, He may leave us behind,

He's preparing a banquet for that great and glorious day,

When the Lord and master calls us, be certain not to say.

In this life we are so busy with so many things that, if we do not take care, we will miss out on the essence of our existence. Today, the streets are full of people struggling and hustling; the markets are full of people buying and selling, and people rise very early in the morning and come back late at night.

This shows us how much effort people put in every day to earn their daily bread. I thought, if we can sincerely put in such an amount of effort to catch up with the train of eternal life, which God is inviting us into in today’s Gospel passage.

For today, from the parable of the marriage feast, the Lord offers us again an invitation to the banquet of heaven. An invitation which is God's free act of kindness, as He wishes to dine with us. No one deserves it anyway, and He is not obliged to invite us nor are we compared to honour his invitation.

Hence in the parable, those who think that they deserve to be invited are too busy to enter the banquet hall. But the poor in spirit and the humble who know that the love God has for them is completely gratuitous accept his invitation with joy.

Dear friends, what is our response to God’s invitation to his heavenly banquet? Are we so busy with the things of this passing world? We are called today not to be too busy to come to our heavenly banquet. For God’s banquet is his Church, good and bad, saints and sinners are invited, for the Church is made up of saints and sinners. The bad are expected to become good while sinners are expected to repent and put on a new garment of holiness and love.

As Christians, today we are reminded of our wedding garment, the new suit we put on on the day of baptism. Therefore, we cannot go on wearing the old garments of sins of pride, greed, adultery, fornication, theft, drunkenness, selfishness and unforgiveness, which will throw us into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, for many are called, but few are chosen.

Thus, we should put on our wedding garment of love, holiness and open the doors of our hearts to the poor, the marginalised, and those rejected by society. For God, through the prophet Ezekiel in our first reading, promised to gather us together from all the foreign countries, and bring us home to our own land and shall pour clean water over us to cleanse us from all our defilement.

He will remove our hearts of stone and give us a new heart, and put a new spirit in us to make us keep His laws and sincerely respect his observances. Then, we shall be his people and He will be our God. Therefore, let us imitate St. Bernard, whose memorial we celebrate today, for he is a man outstanding in word and deed, who strove to bring order and concord to the Church in the societies.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, every day you invite us to your heavenly banquet. As we honour your invitation today, may we, through the intercession of St. Bernard, never be distracted by the vain glory of this passing world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a successful day 

Homily for Wednesday Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 19th August, 2026

 

Readings: Ezek.34:1-11, PS.23, Matt. 20:1-16

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DO NOT GIVE UP EVEN AT THE LAST MOMENT

Oftentimes, when we are passing through the dark moment of life, it seems as if all hope is gone. We put up all our energy and enthusiasm struggling and hoping for a better and brighter moment. Sometimes it seems as if that brighter moment won’t come.

The truth is that our time of favour and success is not determined by how long or strenuous we have struggled, but by our disposition towards God's time of grace and generosity, for God alone decides how to reward us for our efforts. All we need is to be disposed to do his will at all times, because life is all about time and turn, so we have to wait on God’s time and our turns.

This is what the parable of the vineyard labourers in our Gospel passage today is teaching us, especially as regards to our disposition towards embracing the kingdom of God. So from the Gospel, the landowner went beyond justice, for, motivated by compassion, he employed labourers at different times and at the end he decided to pay them the same wages as agreed with those who were hired first, which made them feel bad for the landowner’s generosity towards those hired last.

Here the human mind suspects injustice, while the heart of God sees only an opportunity to be generous. This generosity of God calls us to be generous too; but out of envy we often selfishly consider ourselves more deserving than others. However, we can identify three kinds of persons from this parable: First, those who are like the landowner who hires people to get a job done, but with sympathy for those to be employed.

Secondly, the unemployed waiting desperately in the marketplace and thirdly, the labourers who consider themselves more deserving than others. Thus, we all need to ask ourselves: among these three groups, where do I belong? This is important because the way workers and labourers are being treated in our societies these days is really appalling. For those who are meant to lead and shepherd the people are taking advantage of the people they are called to shepherd.

Hence, God, through the prophet Ezekiel, in our first reading addressed the shepherds who ought to guide and feed the sheep, but are now feeding on the sheep, scattering them to select their choice and feed on their milk, wear their wool, eat their flesh, enriching and fattening themselves from their products.

While treating the sheep harshly and brutally, abandoning the sick, the weak and the strayed. Showing us how the leaders of our society have betrayed their mission. Instead of promoting a just society in accordance with the plan of God, they are using their authority to enrich themselves while oppressing the people entrusted to them.

Dear friends, today, the duties neglected by our leaders are going to be taken over by God himself, who is the Good Shepherd. He assures us that even though we are the least, the nobodies and most neglected in the eyes of the world, He will not forget us, for He has a time and a plan for everyone and will continue to provide for our daily needs.

But warns the leaders that they should change their greedy and sinful ways, because when the Lord’s time comes, the last will be the first and the first, last. For in his kingdom, there is time and a plan for everyone with equal grace and equal status.

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, today you promised to take good care of your sheep yourself as you warn us to change from our sinful, greedy, and corrupt ways of life. Help us to change and be more caring, loving, and always disposed to doing your will. As we go about our daily activities, may your favour follow us even to the last hour, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily for Tuesday Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 18th August, 2026

Readings: Ezek.28:1-10, Deut.33:18-19-22, Matt. 19:16-22

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE HARD TRUTH CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE RICHES OF THIS PASSING WORLD

The rate at which people illegally acquire and attach themselves to material things of this passing world is so alarming, and this has serious consequences towards the well-being of the common man in society. Though material possessions are gifts from God, and he alone gives us the right to them.

But what we possess is meant to help us grow in our relationship with God and neighbours, not to separate us from them, because if we are not careful, too much love for material possessions can be an obstacle on our way to God’s Kingdom.

Little wonder Jesus in our Gospel passage today says: “I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven”. When the disciples heard this they were astonished. And they said, “Who can be saved, then?” Jesus gazed at them and said “For men this is impossible; for God everything is possible”.

Here, Jesus tells his disciples about the need to live a life of detachment. For they saw how the rich young man was so sad when Jesus demanded that he should share his possessions with others to acquire treasures in heaven by following him.

Thus, there is a need for us to be pruned of our excess love for material possessions, because, for a camel to enter through a narrow gate, it must kneel for its load to be taken off. We too must learn how to be humbled and detach ourselves from excess attachment to material things of this passing world.

The fact remains that material possessions in themselves are good, for we would not survive for long without them, but excess attachment to them at the expense of eternal life is grade one suicide. No doubt, it is difficult to give out or share our possessions, but the ones who give up everything are the ones who receive more in this life as well as in heaven.

Hence, the prophet Ezekiel in our first reading warns us concerning the issue of pride, for most of us, like the people of Tyre, because of their possessions, are being swollen with pride, seeing ourselves as gods, while we are nothing but a mere instrument in God’s hands.

Dear friends, what is your attitude towards the material things of this passing world? How have the material things of this passing world distracted us from God? Are we still attached to the material things of this passing world? How willing are we towards detaching and share what we possess with others, especially the poor? For this is a sure way to find life, peace and happiness.

So, Jesus is telling us that it will be difficult for us to enter his kingdom when we choose to attach ourselves to the riches of this passing world. Though material possessions are gifts from God, he alone gives us the right to have them. However, what we possess is not meant to separate us from God; rather, it should help us to grow in our relationship with God and neighbours.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are living in a world where materialism is the order of the day; help us to learn how to live a life of detachment and prune us always from the sin of pride. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.