Homily For Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 15 February, 2022

 Homily For Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 15 February, 2022

Readings: James 1:12-18; Ps. 94; Mark: 8:14-21

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WE ALL NEED TO OBTAIN THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is understand, which is the ability to perceive an idea or situation mentally, to know and comprehend the nature or meaning of things. Hence, understanding is seen as a gift of God and it is to be prayed and desired by all. Understanding has a moral character which one has to sought and learned. Understanding, then, involves the cognitive, the spiritual, and the moral. While human efforts are required, the ability to understand comes from God and the true test of understanding is obedience to God. 

However, Jesus in our Gospel passage today was disappointed at his disciples’ inability to grasp what he was saying to them or who he really is. They failed to understand what he is capable of doing in their midst. Hence he asked them over nine questions which they failed to understand. We can imagine them asking what is it that we do not yet understand? 

But they had been witnesses to two extraordinary events done by Jesus: the feeding of five thousand people with five loaves and four thousand with seven Loaves. Yet they do not seem to have grasped the implication of the miracle they had witnessed nor the divine identity of Jesus who had made it possible.

Thus, Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand?” This question, reveals that the disciples are really in need of the gift of understanding, which is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that is given to us to make sense of what is happening around us all the time. 

Dear friends, the fact remains that we all need the gift of understanding just like the disciples in our Gospel today.  For often times, we are confused about so many things going on in our lives even concerning our faith, our families, our work, our vocation and every other things around us. Little wonder St. James in our first reading today says: make no mistake about this, my dear brothers: all that is good, everything that is perfect, which is given us from above; it comes down from the Father of all light; with him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow of a change. By his own choice he made us his children by the message of the truth so that we should be a sort of first fruits of all that he had created. Therefore, let us ask God the Father to send the Holy Spirit for an increase in the gift of understanding.

LET US PRAY:  Lord God, you are the source of all understanding, help us to understand you better and as we struggle with our daily activities endow us with an understanding heart, so as to break down the walls of confusion that press on in our heart. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Do have a blessed day.

Homily For Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 14 February, 2022, The Memorial of SS. Cyril and Methodius, and St. Valentine’s Day

 Homily For Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 14 February, 2022, The Memorial of SS. Cyril and Methodius, and St. Valentine’s Day

Readings: James 1:1-11; Ps. 119; Mark: 8:11-13

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

VALENTINE’S DAY, A DAY WE CELEBRATE LOVE I A SACRIFICIAL WAY

Today all over the world people are celebrating especially young people, we are celebrating what they called the valentine’s day. A day we celebrate love. But today we are celebrating not just love, but the power and victory of love over human selfishness. The seed of this celebration comes as a result of the ugly event that happened on February 14, around the year 270 A.D.,  when Valentine, a holy Roman Catholic priest, who lived in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed. 

But the questions that comes to mind are: why was he executed and how does this ugly event related to what we are celebrating today? According to history, what happened was that under the rule of  Emperor Claudius II, Rome was involved in many unpopular and bloody campaigns and the emperor had to maintain a strong army, but was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. So the emperor discovered that men of Rome were unwilling to join the army because of their strong attachment to their wives and families.

Thus, to deal with this problem, Claudius banned all marriages and engagements in Rome. But Valentine a priest of Rome, realizing the injustice of this declaration by the emperor, defied this order and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, the emperor ordered that he be put to death. Valentine was arrested and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. This ugly event was carried out on February 14, around the year 270.

However, in 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius, in honour of this St. decided to put an end to the Feast of Lupercalia, which was a pagan celebrate of the god of fertility in the name of love, though in an immoral way that is not acceptable to Christian faith. So in order to replace this feast with something more acceptable, the Pope declared that February 14 be celebrated as St. Valentine's Day in memory of his sacrificial passion for love among the people. And gradually, February 14 became a date for the celebration of love which is often expressed in different ways such as exchanging love messages, poems and simple gifts such as flowers to our loved ones.

Thus, Valentine celebration reminds us of the gift of God's love to humanity. For God loves unconditionally and sacrificially, he loves us till the very end. So, we have to also love one another the way God loves us. We must know that Valentine day is not a carnal celebration of love. But more of sacrificial and spiritual celebration. That is why as Christians we do not celebrate Valentine in a carnal or selfish manner or the sinful way the world celebrates it in the name of boyfriend and girlfriend, committing immorality, fornication and adultery in the name of love, which of course is not love, but lust.

Therefore, Valentine’s day for us should be a day we protect and promote true love for one another. It is a day we remember how much we care for one another and what we are to one another. It is a day  we  build up and nurture long-lasting love, friendships and good relationships with one another.

This is what was lacking in lives of the Pharisees in our Gospel passage today, who were asking Jesus for sign in order to test him. But Jesus with a sigh that came straight from the heart said, ‘Why does this generation demand a sign? I tell you solemnly, no sign shall be given to this generation.’ This response was as a result of pride which has blindfolded the Pharisees who refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah that very sign that they seek.  And this same pride is what is destroying humanity today.

Dear friends, pride can make us blind in such a manner that we will continue to seek for signs even when things are clear and obvious in our lives. And Jesus is saying that in the midst of proud people no sign will be given. But, what signs are we seeing around us today? How can we interpret the signs of this times, the signs that tell us that this world is passing away? Do these signs make us to dread the second coming of the Lord or do we joyfully embrace it in anticipation? Let us learn to embrace true love for that is the only way we can conquer the ugly attitude of pride in us. Let us learn from SS. Cyril and Methodius and also St. Valentine whose memorials we celebrate today. For they are good example of what it means to embrace love in a sacrificial way.

LET US PRAY: Lord Jesus, you are the sign that we seek, as we embrace your word today calling us to embrace love in a sacrificial way, give us through the intercessions of SS. Cyril, Methodius and valentine the grace to be humble and to love in order to follow you our Lord and Saviour who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen. As we carryout our task this week, may God’s  favour be with us now and always.

Homily For Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 13th February, 2022

 Homily For Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 13th February, 2022

Readings: Jer. 17:5-8;  Ps. 1:1-6; 1Cor.15:12.16-20; Luke 6:17.20-26

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

BLESSED ARE YOU WHO ARE POOR AND HUNGRY FOR VIRTUAL DEEDS, BUT WOE TO YOU WHO ARE RICH IN VICES AND SINFUL DEEDS

Oftentimes when we reflect on the ups and downs of life, the struggles, the tears and the disappointments that people are passing through everyday. We wonder and feel that Life is not fair to some people. But is there anybody who has it all in this world? The truth is that, we all struggle everyday to make significant impact in our society. And this significant impact often brings division and separation based on class, social and political affiliation. Hence we talk about the poor and the rich in relation to what people have and possessed. 

But this is not the same with Jesus, for today in our Gospel passage, Jesus talks about the blessings of the poor and the lots of the rich in relation to the virtue of humility and pride towards the things of this passing world and the things of heaven. For he said, blessed are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now: you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now: you shall laugh. But woe to you who are rich: you are having your consolation now. Woe to you who have your fill now: you shall go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now: you shall mourn and weep.

Here Jesus is referring to our disposition towards the things of this passing world and the things of heaven. He wants us to realize that we are not living simply to be happy in this life, but we should be conscious of our heavenly home by constantly examining ourselves on the deeper value of our ways of life in the light of what we can bring with us to eternal life. In this teaching commonly known as the Beatitudes, Jesus gave us the qualities that make for a happy and blessed life. To be blessed means to have inner joy and happiness because of God’s favour upon us. While to be called woe is to have sorrow and pain because we have turned away from God.

However, the poor, the hungry and those weeping in this Gospel passage are not just referring to the regular poor and hungry people around us. Rather, Jesus is referring to the fundamental character of the virtue of humility that is rooted in the poverty of the spirit, that consciousness of one’s own weakness and total dependent on God, which can be found in the lives of both regular poor or rich people and can also be lacking in neither depending on one’s disposition. 

In all these things, what God wants is for us to be excellent in good virtues, for we  heard through prophet Jeremiah in our first reading today, that  curse be on the man who puts his trust in man, who relies on things of flesh, whose heart turns from the Lord. He is like dry scrub in the wastelands: but blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord, He is like a tree by the waterside that never ceases to bear fruit.’

Dear friends, our world is in need of more virtuous  people rather than rich people. However, blessed are those who are virtuous and rich, but woe to those that are rich and lack virtue for they shall soon mourn and weep. And St. Paul in our second reading tells us to remind faithful in doing good in accordance with the will of the Lord whose death and resurrection has purchased for us the price of eternal life.  For if our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are the most unfortunate of all people. 

But we are most privilege people for as long as we remain faithful in doing Good according to the will of the Lord, we will be rewarded. Hence the psalmist says: blessed the man who has placed his trust in the Lord. For he shall be like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season and all that he does shall prosper

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are always engrossed with the pride of life, an ugly attitude that often separate us from you. Grant us the grace of humility so that in our poverty, hungry, mourning and hatred in this world, our lives may aim towards our heavenly kingdom and make us a shining splendour in our families, society and in the world at large. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Saturday of The Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 12th February, 2022

 Homily For Saturday of The Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 12th February, 2022

Readings: 1Kings 12:26-32.13:33-34; Ps.106; Mark 8:1-10

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 GOD’S COMPASSION TOWARDS HUMAN SUFFERING

When God created humanity, he entrusted all his creation to us and gave us regulations to follow in order to ensure successful fulfilment of this responsibility. But out of pride and selfishness we disobeyed God’s instructions and regulations. Hence, we separated ourselves from God, where we should have remained and enjoying the bliss of God’s presence, just as we heard in our first reading today. 

For we heard  how Jeroboam out of greed and selfishness separated himself and the people entrusted to him from God by creating for himself a golden image in replacement of the living God.  Such conduct made the House of Jeroboam a sinful House, and caused its ruin and extinction from the face of the earth.

This is how we often behave and separate ourselves from God and are heading towards destruction and suffering. Nonetheless, God has not abandoned us in our downfall. He is still compassionate, caring and loves us even in our imperfections and our disobedience, for his compassion for the sufferings of humanity is so great. This is evident in our Gospel reading today, where Jesus reveals his compassion towards humanity. This compassionate love of Jesus in it’s historical and physical solidarity with human suffering, springs from the love of God the Father for his creatures.. 

Here, Jesus had compassion on the people who had been with him for days listening to his words. He then says to his disciples that there is need for him to give them something to eat before sending them away less they may faint on the way since some of them have come a long distance. This compassion of Jesus is meant for us to spread it throughout the world in a practical way by our ways of life.

Dear friends, God has not abandoned us even in our imperfections, he still cares about us. All he wants from us is to be faithful to him and be compassionate to one another. But how strong is our compassion towards others? Do we know people who are helpless and need some help? Let us look at them for a moment and imagine Jesus looking at them. How does he sees them? Have I ever felt helpless? Do I feel the need of Jesus’ help in some part of my life? 

Today, like Jesus, each one of us are called to reach out to people around us who are really in need of our assistance. This includes our family members, our neighbours, our colleagues and others who we encounter in life. The truth is that, you may be the only person who can brings the healing and compassion of Jesus into their lives. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, our fragile and contingent nature propelled by pride and sins have always bring about our downfall, but you have never abandoned us. As we embrace your compassion, give us the grace to look at people around us with the compassionate eyes of Jesus and be of help to them the best we could. Amen. Do have a peaceful weekend.

 Homily For Friday of The Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 11th February, 2022

Readings: 1Kings 11:29-33.12:19; Ps.81; Mark 7:31-37

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LORD, THE WORLD HAS MADE US DEAF AND DUMB, COME AND OPEN OUR EARS AND TONGUES ONCE AGAIN

Reflecting on the ugly events in this world, especially how people pay attention to the things of this world at the expense of the things of God. How the world has engaged our attention to herself that we have now become deaf and dump to things that concerns our spiritual life. Yes we go to Church as often as possible, we engaged in one spiritual activity or another. 

But the questions are, do we really listen and hear God speaking to us through those activities? Do we still see the hands of God in what we do? Are we really convinced of what we do in the house of God? Are we confused about our faith as a result of ugly events and scandals? The world really want us to be deaf to the word of God and mute to speak the great things God is doing for us. 

This is evident in our first reading today, where we heard the consequences of paying deaf ears to God’s instructions. For Solomon in his old age let’s his hearts be separated from God because of the lost for the ugly thing of this passing world. So today we heard who his kingdom was divided and separated from him because of his sin. In a similar way  humanity are constantly paying deaf hears to the instructions of God by allowing herself to be deceived by the serpents of this passing world and as a result of this ugly  attitude, we are separating ourselves from the presence of God out of pride and selfish desires.

Thus, today in our Gospel passage, we heard how Jesus dramatically and figuratively heals us of our deafness and dumbass caused by our constant embracing of the sinful things of this passing world. Hence, when the deaf and dumb man was brought to Jesus for healing. He took the man aside, puts his fingers in his ears, touches his tongue with spittle, looks up to heaven and prays, " Ephphatha! Be opened". Immediately the man’s ears were opened, his tongue loosed and he is able to speak plainly. This same words are use during baptism while touching the ears and lips of the baptized, a gesture that signifies the spiritual openness of one’s heart to God’s words.

Dear friends, out of pride and greediness we have often separated ourselves from the presence of God and as a result have become deaf and dumb to his teachings and instructions. Hence, we all need to have our ears opened so that we can hear and understand fully the message of Jesus and share it to the world. I don’t know how far we have separated ourselves from God as a result of sin, I don’t know how deep our deafness and dumbness are, all I know is that today God is saying to us, fear not, have courage for the eyes of the blind shall be opened, ears of the deaf unstopped and the tongue of the mute shall sing for joy. All we need is to trust God no matter the affliction we are passing through in this world, for he is able to save us from them all. 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, our strong desire for the things of this passing world has made us so deaf and dumb towards your words. Let us hear your voice once more saying to us “Ephphatha, be opened”, so that we can hear your words deep down our hearts and joyfully proclaim it to all humanity. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It's Friday, as you  go about your activities, may the joy of the Lord be your strength.

Homily For Thursday of The Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 10th February, 2022. The Memorial of St. Scholastica

 Homily For Thursday of The Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 10th February, 2022. The Memorial of St. Scholastica

Readings: 1Kings 11:4-13; Ps.106; Mark 7:24-30

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

EFFECTIVE PRAYER LIFE REQUIRES HUMILITY AND PERSISTENCY

In our society today, most people hardly accept who they are. For these days people spent all their resources and energy trying to convince others of what they are not by seeking their approval. What happens is that, at the end they will lose their nerves and other people will convince them that what they are doing doesn't have any value and because of that they give up their dream. This is not the same with the syrophoenician woman in our Gospel passage today, who when approached Jesus pleading for the restoration of her daughter did not give up even when her request was not granted immediately. 

For we are told that Jesus entered a house in Tyre and Sidon and did not want to be recognized. It is then that this Gentile Syrophoenician  woman came to him and prostrated herself before Jesus and begged him to exorcise the evil spirit in her daughter. But Jesus’ answer seems somewhat strange when he said:  “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”  However, the woman responded, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps. Her humble and powerful faith were immediately rewarded and her daughter was healed.

 

This story portrays the anticipation of the future faith of the Gentiles who will later become Christians. However, the irony of this passage is that, in Israel Jesus was trying to convince people that he was the Messiah, as he was being challenged to prove it with a sign. But here in Gentile territory he met a woman who was convinced he was the Messiah and he could not discourage her efforts. Nonetheless, his apparent attempt to put her off was just a test, of which her great faith was proven by accepting her humble background and persistency in her request. 

She accepted the place of a “dog” as a Gentile in relation to Israelites been the chosen children of God to whom the message and grace of the Messiah came first. Though she accepted that she may not be able to sit down at the Messiah’s table and eat with the “children,” but she should be allowed to pick up some of the crumbs of unmerited mercy and grace of God for the sake of her daughter.

Dear friends,  we must learn how to humbly accept who are and be more persistent in our quest and desire for something. We must stop wasting valuable time trying to prove who we are not, let us first accept who we are in faith, then, work hard to improve who we want to be in relation to our faith in God. Let our faith in God help us to accept who we are. Whatever we want to do, let us have faith in God and in ourselves, and be determined because, faith, determination and sacrifice are the secrets of any success in life. 

Therefore, tell yourself today that you can get that which you desire, when you plan for it, work everyday for it, then you will begin to see a different face in the things you do. The truth is that people are rewarded in public for things they do for years in private. So, let us learn from this syrophoenician woman who accepted who she was and was determined with faith to achieve her dream through humility and persistency. Let us not be like King Solomon in our first reading who failed to remain faithful to God in his old age. Rather let us remain faithful just like St. Scholastica whose memorial we celebrate today. For she was  deeply prayerful and  faithful to God. She was the twin sister of St. Benedict.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, the syrophoenician woman accepted her humble background with great faith in your Son Jesus, as we humbly make a leap of faith today, with determination and sacrifice towards our dreams in life, may you grant our hearts desires through the intercession of St. scholastica. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.

Homily For Wednesday of The Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 9th February, 2022

 Homily For Wednesday of The Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 9th February, 2022

Readings: 1kings 10:1-10; Ps.37; Mark 7:14:23

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE PURITY OR UGLINESS OF OUR INTERIOR LIFE IS KNOWN BY THE FRUIT OF OUR PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

From the scriptures, we heard how God has entrusted to humanity his wonderful creation with the following instructions: ‘You may eat indeed of all the trees in the garden. Nevertheless of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you are not to eat, for on the day you eat of it you shall most surely die (Gen. 3:3). But we  have often failed to keep this instruction out of pride and greediness which have corrupted our hearts and as a result most of our ugly attitudes are the fruit of this corrupt heart and these often separate us from God.

Little wonder in our Gospel passage today, Jesus makes it clear that we are not defiled or separated from God, by external things, such as the kinds of food we eat, but by the sins of the heart, evil intentions and sinful actions  which we entertain in our hearts. Telling us that physical activity of the human person does not defile a person because the physical is being controlled by the inner interior being of the person. For when the interior life of a person is corrupted by sin, then the fruit of this corruption is manifested in the physical activity of the person.

For just as a corrupt fountain sends forth corrupt streams, so will a corrupt heart bring forth corrupt fruits, corrupt appetites, passions and covetousness and immoderate desires for the passing things of this passing world from which comes wickedness; malice, hatred, and a delight in mischievous actions, deceit; Lasciviousness; that filthiness and foolish talk which darkened the soul. 

Hence, Jesus teaches us also, that from a corrupt heart comes the desire for fornication and adultery. And all these comes from within our hearts, especially it’s the corrupt nature that brings about the carnal mind, the evil treasure in the heart which defile the human person and render one unfit to communion with God. Because they stain the conscience; and, if not mortified and rooted out, will send us out of our heavenly kingdom. 

Thus,  the defilement we ought to avoid is not from what entered our mouths as food, but from what comes out of our mouths, which shows the goodness or wickedness deep down in our hearts. For the human heart is the source of every good and evil deeds. Hence, the pollution of the human heart is very dangerous, for in it comes all the powers and faculties of the soul. So there is need for us to know that lustful and sinful thoughts of the heart defiles the human person and makes one abominable in the sight of God. 

Dear friends, we must ensure that our hearts are constantly purge of all these corruptions in other to bear good fruits of love, forgiveness, compassion and holiness. For it is only when this occurs that there will be need for a new hearts and right spirit to be formed and created within us for having repented and received the pardoning grace of God. Because nothing will last in the soul more than the regenerating graces of the Holy Spirit which gives sight to the heart darkened by sin in order to effectively lead others to the truth that illuminates their hearts from the darkness of sin and death.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, the human hearts have been corrupted and darkened by sins. As we struggle to constantly purge our hearts from sin and corruption, may you, create a pure heart within us so that we can bear good fruits of love and holiness. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.