THE SIGNS FOR THE END TIME IS ALL AROUND US, ARE YOU PREPARED FOR IT

 Tuesday 34th week in Ordinary Time Year A, 24th November, 2020. The Memorial of St. Andrew Dung Lac and Companions.

Readings: Rev.14:14-19 , Ps.95, Luke:21:5-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE SIGNS FOR THE END TIME IS ALL AROUND US, ARE YOU PREPARED FOR IT 

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 for 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, our lives as Christians demands that we should be alert and ready, just like St. John tells us in our first reading about the harvest time for the harvest of the earth is ripe. Thus 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. 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.

 

So, just like St Andrew Dung Lac and Companions whose memorial we celebrate today, for when they heard the Gospel they accepted it despite persecutions and even death. They realize that true happiness is found in interior living of the Gospel and not on material things of this passing world. They embraced martyrdom and became great instrument in preparing humanity towards the kingdom of God. We too can be another great instrument of preparation in God’s hands, if we make ourselves available.

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, we often failed to listen to your warnings concerning our excess 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. Do have a blessed day.

LET YOUR THANKSGIVING TO THE LORD COME FROM YOUR HEART, NOT JUST FROM THE ABUNDANCE HE HAS GIVEN YOU

 Monday 34th week in Ordinary Time Year A, 23rd November, 2020. 

Readings: Rev.14:1-5 , Ps.24, Luke:21:1-4

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LET YOUR THANKSGIVING TO THE LORD  COME FROM YOUR HEART, NOT JUST FROM THE ABUNDANCE HE HAS GIVEN YOU

Thanksgiving is one of the best way of showing gratitude to God for the good things we have received from him. This great act of charity should be done with great full heart. Our attitude and intention towards this act is what God desires to see. Little wonder in our Gospel passage today, Jesus observes the attitude of people towards there thanksgiving offertory. He commented on the attitude of people who give out of their abundance, while commending the attitude of the poor widow who from her heart gave sincerely everything that she had, expressing her faith and love for God by this wonderful gesture. 

Here, Jesus tells us that what matters is not the amount we give, but what lies in our heart, the strength of our generosity comes from the heart. Today Jesus invites us to open our heart and be ready to give in a sacrificial way like this poor widow in our Gospel. For God, who knows our heart, looks at our efforts. The truth is that the greatest gift we can give to anyone is the gift of love, for it is only in true love that one can truly give all that he has without reservations. So, as Christians it is our obligation to follow the Lord’s teaching and dedicate ourselves and all that we have to him wholeheartedly, in faith and love at all times

Dear friends, let our thanksgiving to the Lord not only come from the abundance of what we have, but from true and sacrificial love that comes from our heart expressing our gratitude, faith and love for God and our neighbour. Only such offertory and thanksgiving are pleasing to God and acceptable to him.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, all we have is giving to us out of your abundant good. May we learn to show gratitude in a sacrificial way for such great gift and so gain more favour from you. We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Do have a fruitful week ahead.

LET CHRIST THE UNIVERSAL KING REIGN SUPREME IN OUR HEARTS

 Thirty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, 22nd November, 2020. The Solemnity of Christ the Universal King

Readings: Ezek 34:11-12.15-17, Ps.23, 1Cor15:20-26.28, Matt. 25:31-46

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LET CHRIST THE UNIVERSAL KING REIGN SUPREME IN OUR HEARTS

Every last Sunday of the liturgical year, the Church invites us to celebrate the Lord Jesus as King of the Universe. We are called to look to the future with more insight into the ultimate goal of history, towards the definitive and eternal kingdom of Christ. He was with the Father in the beginning, when the world was created, and he will fully manifest his Lordships at the end of time, when he will judge humanity.

 In fact, this is evident in our first reading and Gospel passage today in which we heard of the account of the event of Last Judgment, when all of creation shall be judged by the Lord Jesus himself, as he returns to the world as a triumphant King and judge humanity based on our actions, deeds and faith. Then will be time for great separation, when the good will be separated from the bad, holy from sinful, righteous from evil, sheep from goats of which their deeds will reveal them. 

Thus, the Lord will say to the righteous and those who have extended their love, care and affection for the needy, the poor and the afflicted, “well done,  Come you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.”

But the wicked and the sinful he will say “go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.” 

For they were judged by their refusal to follow the example of Christ the universal King especially in his love, care and compassion towards one another. But had chosen to remained selfish, greedy, corrupt and wicked. Hence St Paul in our second reading tells us to look towards the parousia, when all those who embraced Christ the universal King will be raised, having overcome all the hostile forces of this passing world, including death.

Dear friends, no doubt that we are living in a world full of greed and selfish people who are swallowed in values of egoism and materialism, with uncontrollable desires for pleasure. We are called today to embrace the teachings of Christ the Universal King for this is what today’s celebration requires of us. Little wonder Pope Pius XI promulgated this Feast of Christ the King in 1925. At the period when the world was still recovering from the ugly event of the First World War that ended in 1918, the period when humanity turned away from the teachings of the Gospel, in search for worldly power and dominion apart from God. So the Pope believed that the celebration of the Feast of Christ the Universal King will appropriate at that period in order to call humanity to conversion and renewal of loyalty to Jesus the True Universal King.

Therefore as we celebrate this great event, let us turn toward Christ for he is our true King. Following him means carrying our own cross, forgetting our self, and faithfully obeying his commandment of sacrificial love. For it is by the blood of his cross, that Jesus reveals his Kingship, not in saving his life, but in offering it as a ransom for our salvation. Thus, trying to do away with the cross in our lives deprives our souls of these true love and loyalty to Christ our King who today wants to reign supreme in our hearts and soul. 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly King, as we celebrate the universal Kingship of Christ your Son, amidst the hostile forces and evil of this passing world, may we be victorious as you feel us with the joy of your kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you happy Christ the King celebration.

WE ARE CHILDREN OF THE RESURRECTION

 Saturday 33rd week in Ordinary Time Year A, 21st November, 2020. The Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Readings: Rev.11:4-12 , Ps.114, Luke:20:27-40

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WE ARE CHILDREN OF THE RESURRECTION

Oftentimes when we talk about the teaching on resurrection people always want to know what and how is going to be like. We often get this teacher wrong because we are using our little knowledge of the things of this passing world to judge the heavenly things. This is the disposition of the Sadducees in our Gospel passage today, for since they do not believe in the resurrection, they decided to challenge Jesus concerning the notion about resurrection using the analogy of marital union in relation to afterlife in order to discredit the teachings of Jesus. 

As usual, Jesus goes on to explain how people will relate to each other in the afterlife. That those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world and in the resurrection from the dead do not marry because they can no longer die, for they are the same as the angels, and being children of the resurrection they are sons of God. He then challenged the Sadducees’ unbelief about life after death. 

He reminded them of the scene where the voice from the burning bush identifies itself to Moses. “I AM the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6). For He is the God of the living and not of the dead. After this reply of Jesus to both the Pharisees and the Sadducees, they no longer dared to ask him any questions.

Dear friends, we believe in the resurrection not so much because of Jesus’ arguments here, but because of his own resurrection of which he promise to share his life and joy with us forever. Jesus tells us that we are children of the resurrection and children of God who neither married nor given in marriage in the heavenly kingdom. Thus, it is natural for us to ask questions about resurrection of life, but we should not expect to understand it fully while we are still alive. All that matters is our relationship with our God and neighbour for what we shall be after death is known by God alone.

Therefore, as we celebrate the presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary today, that great moment when St. Joachim and St. Anne offered their firstborn child to the Lord at the Temple of God as prescribed by the Law. On this day we rejoice and celebrate the faith of Mary, the one who became the Mother of God and Jesus the Saviour of the world who through his death and resurrection has made us children of the resurrection. Thereby calling us to embrace his teaching. Let us all be inspired by the examples Mary who the Lord has set before us, that we shall also be righteous, virtuous and great in faith as she has shown us in life time.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we look forward to the resurrection of mankind. May we be inspired by the great example of our Mother Mary, whose faith was so strong in the teaching of her Son. Through her intercessions may we obtain the joy of the risen Lord. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful weekend.

JESUS WISHES TO CLEANSE THE TEMPLE OF OUR SOUL FROM SINS AND CORRUPTION

 Friday 33rd week in Ordinary Time Year A, 20th November, 2020. 

Readings: Rev. 10:8-11 , Ps.118, Luke:19:45-48

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

JESUS WISHES TO CLEANSE THE TEMPLE OF OUR SOUL FROM SINS AND CORRUPTION

The temple as we know is described as the sacred dwelling place of God. That’s sacred space where humanity encounter the Divine presence of God. It is a symbolic space where God desires to live together with humanity and rule the world through them. Therefore it is very important to ensure that such Sacred Space (Temple) is kept sacred at all times. 

Little wonder in our Gospel passage today, we heard a very brief story of how Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem and drives away the traders from the courts of the Temple saying: “My house will be a house of prayer. But you have turned it into ‘a den of thieves’.” So he chased out all the dishonest, selfish and greedy merchants who are making profits by cheating the faithful pilgrims who came to the Temple to worship God.

Here Jesus was not just concerned with cleansing of the temple of Jerusalem, but also the temple of human’s heart, that is, our souls. He is objecting to corruption of the sacred. Our body and soul are temple of the Lord and belong to him alone. It is a sacred space, a house of prayer which must not be given over to the false gods of money, greed and sin. 

And by clearing the Temple, the Lord has also urged us all to clear our own spiritual Temples, that is our body, mind, heart and soul, in which God dwells. That is why St. John in our first reading described in his vision the gift of God’s Words to his disciples and the Church, using a figurative language, he describe how wonderful the truth of God’s Words is to us, yet, it is bitter for us to embrace it fully and let it bear fruit in our lives.

Dear friends, our souls are sacred dwelling of God’s Temple. Thus, it must be made sacred at all times by ensuring that we get rid of all corruptions, wickedness, pride, ego, greed, wrath and all other sorts of evils within us. We must resist them and strive to inspire and help one another to keep our Temple sacred. For Jesus wishes to cleanse the temple of our soul by removing what has corrupted it, in order to purify it for worship, and making it a dwelling place for prayer. But are we willing to let him cleanse us?

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are your temple, yet we have let the selfish desires for the things of this passing world to corrupt us so deeply. As we embrace your Words today, may we experience the joy of the purification of our body and soul. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

HAVE YOU EVER WEPT FOR THE UGLY SITUATIONS EXPERIENCED IN YOUR LIFE, FAMILY AND SOCIETY?

 Thursday 33rd week in Ordinary Time Year A, 18th November, 2020. 

Readings: Rev. 5:1-10 , Ps.149, Luke:19:41-44

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

HAVE YOU EVER WEPT FOR THE UGLY SITUATIONS EXPERIENCED IN YOUR LIFE, FAMILY AND SOCIETY?

Peace is what every human person desire to have. It is a necessary commodity in human societies. A city that has peace are surely to have great success. It is the dream of everyone. But a city that lacks peace is disastrous. Little wonder today in our gospel passage, Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. For Jesus who is the King of peace came to Jerusalem a city whose name stands for peace but find no peace in it. 

He looked at the city and it coming disaster which would indeed happen in a few decades after its destruction at the hand of the Romans. So he wept and prayed for its people. Since they have rejected the peace that God is offering them, they have no option than to face the consequences. Jesus felt deep sorrow at the city’s resistance to God’s word, wishing that it might receive what God is offering. 

Today we too can look around us, also our cities, societies, country and the world at large, and feel sorrow at so much  greed, corruption, suffering and disregard for truth and for what is right and discover that peace is no where to be found. But we should not be afraid for St. John in our first reading tell us to be courageous for the Lamb of God has triumphed over all evil. He has been glorified and as such has purchased for us  our eternal peace and salvation. 

Thereby reminding us that despite the challenges and trials that we have to face in this passing world, we have the Lamb of God, triumphant and victorious by our side. He tells us that even though tribulations will come our way in form of the doom and destruction like that of Jerusalem, we should be steadfast for in God we shall be triumphant.

Dear friends, if we can consider the words of Jesus and embrace the peace and love he is offering us, we will realize that he longs for our good and growth. There are many temptations and distractions in this world trying to mislead us and separate us from our God. Let us not be misled by these things. Let us remain firm in our faith and let our lives shine with the light of Christ, so that his light will illuminate all the darkest moments in our lives, in our societies, country and the world at large. For the Lord wishes to lead us to the final victory that he has won for us. But are we willing to commit our lives to Christ?. All we need to do is to embrace all the possibilities of peace and love that God is offering to us every day. Then it shall be well with us. 

LET US PRAY, Heavenly Father, you are the King of peace and in Christ your son you have offered humanity peace. But we have failed to embrace it. As we struggle with the ugly situation in our world today, may the peace of Christ reign in our hearts, homes, societies, country and the world at large. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Remain blessed.

WE ALL HAVE BEEN GIVEN SPECIAL GIFTS AND OPPORTUNITIES, DO NOT LET YOURS WASTE AWAY

 Wednesday 33rd week in Ordinary Time Year A, 18th November, 2020. 

Readings: Rev. 4:1-11 , Ps.150, Luke:19:11-28

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WE ALL HAVE BEEN GIVEN SPECIAL GIFTS AND OPPORTUNITIES, DO NOT LET YOURS WASTE AWAY

In this life God has given special and unique gifts and opportunities for everyone. If we use these gifts and the opportunities wisely for our own benefit and the benefit of others, we will grow and blossom. But on the other hand if we fail to use them, we will remain dormant  and unsuccessful.

This is what the parable in our Gospel passage today is addressing. In this parable we heard how a king summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds to do business until he comes back. Some of them utilized these gifts and opportunity and so became successful and for that they were entrusted with more gifts. While some decided to neglect and abandoned their gifts and so remained dormant and unsuccessful. 

This parable teaches us that we all have been given gifts by God which we must give account of. Because our gifts are meant to be put to use in the service of God and humanity. And our service to God should not be done grudgingly or fearfully but generously with the willingness to take risks in responding to God's mandate. We must be ready to lose our life in order to find it. God wants us to use the individual gifts and opportunities given to us to make a difference in the world. We are not to relax into a comfort zone doing nothing with them. God wants the best from us and when we have given our best, we receive more from him. 

Dear friends, we all are special, unique and a masterpiece and God has given us a very unique gift. These gifts may represent different physical and spiritual gifts of God, but it's  basic foundation is the love of God towards us.  This love is what God has given to us which needs to be reciprocated through an active love for our neighbours. 

However, we often fine it difficult to discover our other gifts or to accept the one God has given to us because we have failed to embrace love. So, we are called today to search and discover our gifts. Love is the greatest gift God has given to humanity, let us discover love and invest on it for in it comes other gifts that will help us to achieve the purpose by which we are created.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, you have endowed us with special and unique gifts and opportunities. Help us to discover these gifts and utilize them for the purpose of which they were given to us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.