The Homily for Friday in Fifth Week of Eastertide Year B, 7th May, 2021

 The Homily for Friday in Fifth Week of Eastertide Year B, 7th May, 2021

Readings: Acts 15:22-31; Ps.56; John 15:12-17

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS THE LORD HAS COMMANDED US

Love is a gift from God to mankind, it is like the stream water, so innocent and pure. A true love is not hidden, it radiates from the innermost being of a person who experience it. Most of the problems in our families, societies and the world at large can be traced to one major challenge, that is the absence of sincere love for one another, as most families today exist by grace and not by love. Imagine how wonderful the world would have been if we all love one another.

Little wonder, Jesus knowing how important love is for the well being of humanity, made it the center of all his teachings. He presents love of God and love of neighbour as the summary of all the commandments. And in our Gospel passage today, he says: “This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you.”

So, as Jesus continues his teaching on love, today we heard more about the commandments of loving one another. There is no doubt that we all have experienced God’s love and favour in one way or another. God has done so much for us, giving us everything that we need, and He has shown us all these wonderful love so that we too may know what it truly means to love. And today Jesus is commanding us to also love one another in the same way that God has loved us and this is exemplified by the Apostles in the decision they made concerning how the gentile believers should be treated as we have it in our first reading today.

Dear friends, I know that it is not easy to bear the sacrificial nature of love, but that is what the world needs now. So let us be genuine with our actions and love towards one another. Let us not just think about ourselves and our selfish desires, but consider the needs of others. Loving one another requires sacrifice, sacrifice of our comfort, resource, talent, gifts and pride. Loving one another requires forgiveness, mercy, care and humility.

How I wish that humanity can invest the amount of energy, time and resources used in producing heavy personnels and ammunitions of war into 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 family, a peaceful community and one united humanity build on love.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we make efforts to love one another, grant us the grace to experience true love in our lives, families, communities and the world at large. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen Do have a blessed day.

The Homily for Thursday in Fifth Week of Eastertide Year B, 6th May, 2021

 The Homily for Thursday in Fifth Week of Eastertide Year B, 6th May, 2021

Readings: Acts 15:7-21; Ps.95;  John 15:9-11

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 REMAIN IN THE LOVE OF GOD BY KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS

The word “love” means a lot of things to different people. For some, love is one of the common words we use to express our deep feeling of affection for someone or something. But the fact remains that love is much more than that, why? Because it is something greater than the nature of the human person. For me Love is God’s nature which he shares with His creatures. It is that nature of God which we share with one another. Love is beyond human nature. When we love, we are actually acting out that very nature of God in us and this can be overwhelming and mysterious because it is the nature of God that we share. 

Therefore, love is God's greatest gift to humanity. A gift that shows how much He loves us by sending His Son whose life giving sacrifice means salvation for the world. So, the love that Jesus has for us is nothing less than the Divine love that unites the Persons of the Trinity, and Jesus presented this love as life that must continue among his disciples. That is why in our Gospel passage today he said to his disciples: ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 

Dear friends, let us keep the Lord’s commandments, let us embrace Jesus and the love he is offering us. Let us serve the Lord and his Church faithfully by spreading his love everywhere we find ourselves. The truth is that, it actually feels right and awesome to experience and share the love of God. I don’t know if you have ever loved someone and you show it, or someone loves you and shows it? Or somebody loves you and you know it, it is something great and awesome, because love bring life, healing and wholeness into people’s lives. Thus, it is by loving God in our neighbours that we can share and experience this nature of God in us and by so doing, we will conquer the world full of hatred, self-centeredness, greed and sin.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we listened to your words today, may we resolve to keep your commandments and remain in your love. Help us to spread your love to the world and by so doing conquer the hatred, self-centeredness, greed and sin rooted in our families, societies and the world at large. Amen  Do have a favorable day.

The Homily for Wednesday in Fifth Week of Eastertide Year B, 5th May, 2021

 The Homily for Wednesday in Fifth Week of Eastertide Year B, 5th May, 2021

Readings: Acts 15:1-6; Ps.121;  John 15:18

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

REMAIN WITH JESUS THE TRUE VINE

Since Sunday we have been listening to Jesus’ instructions to his disciples especially as regards to the relationship between him and those who wishes be his disciples. To drive this message down to the level they will understand him, he used the imagery of Vine and branches. The vine as we know is the source of life for the branches. It provides the water and nutrients by which the grapes are produced. Without the vine, no fruit could ever be produced. And branches utterly dependent upon the vine.

 

So as Jesus and his disciples were passing through the vineyards that surround the city after they had concluded their meeting in the upper room in Jerusalem where they celebrated the Passover, Jesus told them the parable of the Vine and the branches as we have it in our Gospel passage today saying: ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing.’ 

Here, Jesus is emphasizing on the need to remain faithful in our relationship with God, as we know in the scriptures, Israel is pictured as a vine which is to produce good fruit. But has failed.  Thus, Jesus made them to know that he is the true, genuine and authentic Vine. But in the Old Testament, God’s vine was Israel. He used them to accomplish his purpose in the world. However, he is the true Vine through whom we have life in us.

So, the major purpose of this parable is for us to remain faithful in our relationship with God and also to be fruitful in our Christian faith. Because as God’s chosen people, we are expected to produce great, sweet, beautiful, rich fruit of righteousness, holiness, justice, peace and joy to the world. But most of us, just like the Israelites have failed as we produced sour, rotten, stinking, tasteless fruit of sin, corruption, greed, cruelty, exploitation and hatred in the world.

Dear friends, as branches of Vine which is Christ, our fruit should be the natural outflow of the life of the Vine. For when we are united and identified with Jesus we produce from his Vine the fruit of the Holy Spirit, that sweet and rich wine of love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, self control, holiness, courage and faith which is lacking in the world today.

But the questions we need to ask ourselves today are: are we still connected with Jesus the true Vine? What kind of fruit are we producing in this world? What is stopping us from producing good fruit? Do we need to be pruned of our ugly habitual sins? Remember, God prunes a branch so that it may bear more fruit and this pruning is not done only once for it is a constant process. 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we are so much attached to so many things in this passing world, as we find delight in Jesus our true Vine, prune us where we need to be pruned, so that we may remain faithful in our relationship with you and so bear good fruit of your love and peace in our families, societies and the world at large. We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Do remain blessed.

The Homily for Tuesday in Fifth Week of Eastertide Year B, 4th May, 2021 Readings: Acts 14:19-28; Ps.144; John 14:27-31

 The Homily for Tuesday in Fifth Week of Eastertide Year B, 4th May, 2021

Readings: Acts 14:19-28; Ps.144;  John 14:27-31

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

LET THE PEACE OF CHRIST REIGN IN YOUR HEART

The ugly events we hear and experience on daily basis especially the cases of killings, hatred, betrayals, greed; social and economic injustice, bloodshed, kidnapping, banditry and the massacre of innocent people all over the globe is a clear sign that the world has lost a treasure which she enjoys in the presence of God before the fall of man.

 By original sin, man has lost the peace he enjoyed with God. But God, who is compassionate and gracious, wills to restore back this peace. Hence Jesus who is the fulfillment of God’s plan in time, offers peace to the world as his first gift after his resurrection, when he said to his disciples in our Gospel passage today,  “peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”. 

The word Peace from the Hebrew word shalom means more than an absence of conflict or disturbance or war. Rather it signifies a state of complete integration of unity between God and Man, between man and neighours, also between man and his environment. It thus implies everything that Jesus came to achieve in this world. It is the legacy of his life, death and resurrection. Little wonder these words of Jesus are repeated at every Eucharistic celebration, where Jesus offers us his peace again and again. 

But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: Have we really embraced this peace in our lives? Do we experience this peace at the Eucharistic banquet every time we participate at the Holy Mass? Am I an instrument of peace to my neighbour, my family and the society at large? Am I ready to sacrifice my possessions, my ambition and my life for the sake of peace? Am I ready to forgive those who offended me and seek reconciliation for the sake of peace?

 St Paul in our first reading today was stoned and dragged out of the city because he offered the word of peace to the people who rejected it. Should we give up because our peace has been rejected by people? Should we stop being peace-loving because of persecution? Will I be courageous enough to let peace be known in the world? Will I use the peace I have found in Jesus to reshape the world around me? Will I let this peace reign supreme in my heart? 

Dear friends, at every Eucharistic celebration, Jesus is offering us his peace again. He is searching for true and available instruments of peace. He wants to use us as his instruments of peace in the world. Are we available? Can we be that instruments?  Can his peace reign in our hearts, so that we extend this peace in our families, societies, country and the world at large? Lord make us instrument of your peace.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, in the midst of the chaos, tribulations, hatred, betrayals, greed, violence, banditry and kidnapping in our world today, grant we pray the grace to be true instruments of your peace in our homes, societies, country and the world at large, so that our world may be restored back to its original harmony and the face of the earth be renewed. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

The Homily for Monday in Fifth Week of Easter Year B, The Feast of SS Philip and James, 3rd May, 2021

 The Homily for Monday in Fifth Week of Easter Year B, The Feast of SS Philip and James, 3rd May, 2021

Readings: 1Cor 15:1-8; Ps.19;  John 14:6-14

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

FOLLOWING JESUS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE

The main goal of discipleship is acquiring the mind of the master and the price to pay is desiring to obey and learn from the Master. This is clear with the use of the imagery of Father and Son by Jesus to explain his relationship with God the Father. But oftentimes, the people and even his disciples find it difficult to understand the systematic fashion of this relationship. 

So in our Gospel passage today, Jesus tried to explain this relationship to his disciples when he said to them: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, If you know me, you know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him. Curiously, Philip said, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied'. But Jesus said: you must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; I tell you most solemnly, whoever believes in me will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father and whatever you ask for in my name I will do it. 

Here Jesus is saying that if we want to know God and understand his ways in relation to humanity, all we need to do is to look at him (Jesus) as the Son of the Father who has come to reveal the true image of God to humanity. We are to observe what he does, listen to what he teaches, watch how he behaves, what and who he loves, what he rejects or defends for by so do we will discover God in him because as the Son, he is the true human image of God. He is one with the Father in unity of existence and life and this is evidence in the Words he spoke and the works he performed. 

Consequently, those who believe in him are endowed with the power of the Holy Spirit and will do greater works then he has done, for he has gone to the Father and whatever they ask in his name he will do it, because they will be asking in accordance with the Holy Spirit in union with the name of the very person of Jesus whose request the Father will always granted.

So today we celebrate the feast of SS Philip and James, two great Apostles of our Lord Jesus, who laboured and worked hard to serve the Lord and brought his Good News to different corners of the world. Their relics are kept together in the Church of the Twelve Apostles in Rome and from the day of it’s dedication in 565, these two Apostles have been celebrated together.  Tradition has it that, Philip evangelized and preached in places like Greece, Asia Minor and Syria. It was during one of his ministry, according to tradition, that he was martyred when along with Bartholomew, tried to convince the wife of the local ruler to convert to the Christian faith and the furious ruler ordered Philip and Bartholomew to be crucified upside-down. 

But Philip asked his persecutors to release Bartholomew, which they did, but he himself remain on the cross, and there he died a martyr. In a similar way St. James the Lesser as he was called, was also a devoted disciple of the Lord, who was credited with the evangelization and conversion of many peoples just like Philip and the other Apostles. He was also martyred in Egypt, where he worked greatly in spreading the Gospel and defending the faith he has found in Jesus. 

Dear friends, the questions we need to ask ourselves today are:   Do we really believe in God as our Father? Do we personally and truly know and believe in Jesus as the way, the truth and the life? Have we any personal experience of the power of the Holy Spirit. The truth is that we can only do great work in his name when we have a personal experience and encounter with the risen Lord, just like the disciples Philip and James who after experienced the risen Lord, sacrificed their lives for the sake of his Gospel. 

Therefore, I don’t what your experience of the Lord has been? I don’t know what you want God to do for you, I don’t know that pray points you recite everyday, I don’t know how deep your requests are, all I know is that if we truly have a personal relationship with Jesus and believe in him as the way, the truth and the life, we are going to be endowed with the power of the Holy Spirit and will do greater works then he has done, for he has gone to the Father and has promised us that whatever we ask in his name he will do it.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we follow Jesus the way, the truth and the life, help us to carry out our responsibilities effectively, may we through the intercession of SS. Philip and James, have a personal experience of your presence in our lives, so that presenting our needs before you, we may find favour in your presence. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful week ahead.

The Homily for Fifth Sunday of Easter Year B, 2nd May, 2021

 The Homily for Fifth Sunday of Easter Year B, 2nd May, 2021

Readings: Acts.9:26-31; Ps.22; 1 John 3:18-24;  John 15:1-8

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

DO NOT LET THE UGLY SITUATION OF THIS PASSING WORLD SEPARATE YOU FROM JESUS THE TRUE VINE

Today as we celebrate the Fifth Sunday of Easter, we are called to renew our commitment and relationship with God. So the use of the imagery of Vine and branches as a metaphorical expression used by Jesus to describe the relationship between him his disciples is vital in describing our relationship with God. The vine as we know is the source of life for the branches. It provides the water and nutrients by which the grapes are produced. Without the vine, no fruit could ever be produced. And branches are utterly dependent upon the vine. 

Thus, after Jesus and his disciples had concluded the meeting in the upper room in Jerusalem where they celebrated the Passover, as they were going, they passed through the vineyards that surround the city. Surely after the mysterious teaching of Jesus, the disciples were exceedingly anxious and perplexed as to what comes next. It was in this disposition and background that Jesus told them the parable of the Vine and the branches as we have it in our Gospel passage today saying: ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing.’ 

Here, Jesus is saying to them you know how Israel is pictured as a vine which is to produce good fruit, but has failed. I am the true, genuine and authentic Vine. By this comment, Jesus was not introducing a new idea by using the metaphor of a vine and branches. Rather he was making reference to the Old Testament, where God's vine was Israel. He used them to accomplish his purpose in the world as a branch that is truly connected to the vine which is secured and will never be removed. 

So, with this parable of the vine Jesus illustrated the most fundamental and basic secret of a fruitful Christian life. Hence, the major purpose of this parable is for us to be fruitful in our Christian faith. Because, as God’s chosen people, we are expected to produce great, sweet, beautiful, rich fruit of righteousness, holiness, justice, peace and joy to the world. But most of us, just like the Israelites have failed as we produced sour, rotten, stinking, tasteless fruit of sin, corruption, greed, cruelty, exploitation and hatred in the world. 

However, this is not the fruit we are supposed to bear, but in any case there is always room for change just like St Paul in our first reading today, who after he encountered the Lord, turn away from his past and erroneous path, and begin to follow the right path which the Lord Jesus has entrusted to him. For he went out preaching with all boldness the repentance and love of God for humanity. For Paul will not let the ugly situations of his past life separate him from Jesus the true vine who has shown him such great love.

Thus, in our second reading today, we heard of the commandments that God has entrusted to us, the commandments of love that He has revealed before us and which as Christians, we are all expected and obliged to express with one another, by loving God with all of our hearts and at the same time, loving our neighbours in such a way that people will know that truly we are Christians, God’s chosen people, who are rooted in Christ Jesus the true Vine.

Dear friends, the questions we need to ask ourselves today are: Am I still connected with the true Vine? What kind of fruit am I producing in this world? What is stopping me from producing good fruit? Do I need to be pruned of my ugly habitual sins? Remember, God prunes a branch so that it may bear more fruit and this pruning is not done only once for it is a constant process. 

Hence, as branches of Vine which is Christ, our fruit should be the natural outflow of the life of the Vine. For when we are united and identified with Jesus we produce from his Vine the fruit of the Holy Spirit, that sweet and rich wine of love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, self control, holiness, courage and faith which is lacking in the world today. Therefore, no matter the ugly situations we may find ourselves in this passing world, we must not separate ourselves from Jesus the true and only vine and the source of human life.

LET US PRAY: Grant, we pray, O God, that we may always find delight in Jesus our true Vine, prune us where we need to be pruned, so that we may faithful bear good fruit, and through the power of the Holy Spirit produce the great wine of your love and peace in our families, societies and the world at large. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

The Homily for Saturday in Fourth Week of Easter Year B, The Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker, 1st May, 2021

 The Homily for Saturday in Fourth Week of Easter Year B, The Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker, 1st May, 2021

Readings: Gen. 1:26-2:3; Ps. 89; Col. 3:14-15,17,23-24; Matt. 13:54-58

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

BECOMING GOD’S FAITHFUL MANAGER LIKE ST. JOSEPH

On December 8, 2020, Pope Francis proclaimed a special “Year of St Joseph,” beginning with the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception 2020, till the same feast in 2021 and in a new Apostolic Letter entitled Patris Corde (“With a Father’s Heart”), the Pope describes Saint Joseph as a beloved father, a tender and loving father, an obedient father, an accepting father; a father who is creatively courageous, a working father, a father in the shadows . So today as the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Joseph the worker, the great Patron of all workers which occurs every 1st of May the world also celebrates the World Labour Day and May Day on which we also begin our May Devotion. 

Thus in our first reading today, we read that God created man in His own image and likeness, and said: let them be masters of all that He created. God blessed them, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. With this mandate God made man the master and manager of all that He has created. Hence, from Adam till the birth of Jesus God has entrusted to humanity everything he created and humanity in one way or another has failed to properly manage the things entrusted to them. But, now when God wishes to fulfill his promise of redeeming the failed humanity, He needed a true manager to entrust not just His creatures but also His only begotten Son. Thus, God fund in St Joseph that true manager who will be truly and faithful guardian of His son. 

So, St. Joseph the Worker ( carpenter) as he is called, was upright, virtuous and good in all the things he had done, a hardworking servant of God in all things. He was the one who accepted Mary and her baby and brought the Holy Family safely to Bethlehem, where Mary gave birth to the Lord Jesus in a stable, during persecution he took Jesus and Mary to Egypt because of king Herod and his agents who are trying to kill the baby Jesus. It was him who also brought them back to Nazareth, he protected the holy family and raised up Jesus properly.

Today, due to the important roles and tireless efforts made by St. Joseph to protect the family entrusted to him, he has proved to be a perfect image of God’s faithful manager and has taken up the task of being the Protector of the Universal Church and the Patron of all workers and managers. He was full of virtues and faith, and he dedicated his life to the service of God and managing the task of raising Jesus as his own foster Son, with great dedication, not minding his reputation or his own personal ambitions or desires. 

Dear friends, all humanity are called to be God’s manager, we are called to manage all the things He created beginning with our lives, but humanity has failed to manage properly God’s creative works and because of our mismanagement of God’s creatures, humanity has turned the world against herself and today we are all suffering as a result of our mismanagement. Therefore, it is time for all humanity to imitate the example of St Joseph, the faithful manager of God. It is time for us to change our ugly and evil ways of life and begin to take proper care of all the Lord has entrusted to us. It is time for all humanity to assume that role of a faithful manager which we are called to be. 

Hence, I don't know how faithful you have been in managing your life and other things the Lord has entrusted to you, I don’t know what your experience of the world has been. I don't know how you woke up today, I don't know what troubles you mind. But all I know is that today is another gift of God to us, a new month. I am excited, hopeful and am going to live it with all joy and strong will to be a true manager of God’s creatures not trying to change things that I could not change or try to fix things that do not want to be fixed. 

I will not let ugly events of the past distract me today or steal my joy. Rather, I will focus on the blessings that comes with the gift of this new month. Like St. Joseph, I will be that true and faithful manager of the Lord. I will constantly follow the directives of the Lord, for his ways are right and the upright walk in them and are safe, but the transgressors stumble in them and perish. 

LET US PRAY. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of this new month, through the intercession of St. Joseph the worker, make us true managers of the things you created and help us to correct the things we have mismanaged as You heal and restore the world from it’s ugly situation which was caused by our failure to manage properly the thing you entrusted to humanity. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy New Month.