The Homily for Saturday in Third Week of Easter Year C, 7th May, 2022

 The Homily for Saturday in Third Week of Easter Year C, 7th May, 2022

Readings: Acts. 9:31-42; Ps.116; John 6:60-69

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

WILL YOU WALKAWAY WHEN IGNORANCE AND LIFE STRUGGLES THREATENS YOUR FAITH IN GOD?

Everyday of our lives we make choices that we think are good for us. But sometimes some choices are very difficult to make. However, the root of any choice we make in life comes from the fundamental option we have made as a human person. Our fundamental option is the option we make for or against God, to love or to be selfish, to be good or evil, to be holy or sinful. These options have a way of influencing any other choices we make in life. 

Today, in our Gospel passage, we heard how people reacted when faced with hard choice on account of the teachings of Jesus. For as he ends the discourse on the Bread of Life he said to them: whoever, eats my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life… For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. So, hearing this hard teaching, many of his disciples decided to walk away. Then Jesus asked the twelve: will you also go away? Peter answered, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God. 

Following these responses, we can see how important it is for us to make the fundamental option for God if we really want to follow him. As we heard that most of the followers of Jesus left him behind after he spoke of himself as the Bread of Life. Thus, many of them refused to believe in such hard truth and teaching. This may be as a result of their ignorance, impatience and inability to accommodate difficult moment and realities that is beyond them.

Dear friends, everyday we are called to make this fundamental option between God the Creator and the creatures who have made themselves gods. For this is the reality of our faith in Christ, so, the Christian faith which we have is not something we should take for granted, as we may often find it difficult to remain faithful especially when we are confronted with arguments and activities that are opposite and in contrast to our faith. Yet, at the same time, we are called to continue to be faithful and dedicate ourselves completely in obedience to the teachings of Christ.

Thus, when the articles of our faith or our life situations seems difficult, we are called to come to Jesus. We are called to believe in him who came from above and bears testimony of heavenly things. We are called like the apostles to say Lord to whom shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life. We are to bear witness of these things through the power of the Holy Spirit, knowing that our choice for God is a choice for love, and a life of love is a sacrificial life neither easy nor comfortable. 

Therefore, inspired by the faith and courage of St Peter, who in our first reading today did great miraculous works in the name of Jesus, let us bear witness to the faith we have found in Jesus, by identifying ourselves with him who is the bread of life, full of love and goodness. Let us learn to live a life of holiness and building a good relationship with others like Dorcas in our first reading who was never tired of doing good.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, our hope is all in you, when in difficult moment of decision making regarding our faith in you, give us the grace and courage like St. Peter to bear authentic witness to the faith we have found in Christ Jesus, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. Do have a fruitful weekend.

The Homily for Friday in Third Week of Easter Year C, 6th May, 2022

 The Homily for Friday in Third Week of Easter Year C, 6th May, 2022

Readings: Acts. 9:1-20; Ps.117; John 6:52-59

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

TRUE CONVERSION GIVES US NEW NAME,  NEW IDENTITY AND NEW MISSION

Everyday is an opportunity to encounter God through different events that occur in our lives. I don't know if you have ever had an experience that made you realize the emptiness of this life, a kind of experience that turns pride into humility, sinfulness into righteousness, an experience that changes your perspective about things or people?

This is the kind of experience that Saul had with Jesus in our first reading today, that made him realize the emptiness of his life and how wrong he was, fighting against God’s people. For Saul was a young and a zealous Pharisee who was deeply involved in the persecutions of early Christians. He was present at the moment when St. Stephen was martyred and stoned to death. Saul was also a leading figure among the Sanhedrin in their attempt to destroy the Church and the followers of Christ, for he went from place to place and carried out violent attacks against the followers of Christ until he encountered the Lord on his way to Damascus. 

This very experience brought true conversion in his life and changed his perspective about Christians. This encounter gave him a new identity, changing his name from Saul to Paul. A name indicating his new mission. A mission he so carried out with all his zeal and passion that he is regarded as one of the apostles and today his works still speak about the effect of his personal encounter with Jesus.  

This goes on to affirm the hard teaching of Jesus in our Gospel passage today, where he was talking about having life in him. For himself draws life from the Father, and he said, that “unless  you eat the flesh of the Son of Man  and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. So whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood will draw life from him. This new life is what Saul experienced when he encountered him and was converted and entrusted with the mission of converting the pagans.

Dear friends, as we heard about the conversion of St Paul, we are called to reflect on our own conversion. Today like St. Paul, we are called to reflect on our personal experience with God. How have we personally experienced God? When was your spiritual turning point? Do we have a personal conviction about God that does not based on what people told us of him?  Remember that by the virtue of our baptism we are called to share in the same mission and calling that St. Paul himself had received from the Lord. So, in case we have not personally experience the Lord, all we need to do is to sincerely seek God in those common events in our lives and we will realize how much God is willing to reveal himself to us. 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we really need to have a personal encounter of your presence in our lives. As we reflect on the encounter and conversion of St. Paul, may we experience your presence in a unique way and through this experience discover our purpose, our new identity and mission in life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Do have a blessed day.

The Homily for Thursday in Third Week of Easter Year C, 5th, 2022

 The Homily for Thursday in Third Week of Easter Year C, 5th, 2022

Readings: Acts. 8:26-40; Ps.66; John 6:44-51

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

WE ALL NEED TO ACQUIRE THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is understanding. It is the second gift of the Holy Spirit, behind wisdom. Through understanding, we gain a certitude about our beliefs that moves beyond faith. It enables one to see more deeply into the mysteries of the faith and judge with certainty all created things. The essential quality of this gift is the penetrating intuition. For this gift does not only assists in penetrating revealed truths, but also natural realities that are related to the supernatural end. 

Thus, understanding is not so much the fruit of studies, but the loving desire and penetrating intuition towards understanding all the Father has revealed. This is exactly what happened to Philip while explaining the scriptures to the Ethiopian Eunuch in our first reading today. For when he heard him reading the book of Isaiah the prophet, he asked him, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ the Eunuch replied: ‘How can I understand unless I have someone to guide me?’ 

Here, the Eunuch seeks the gift of understanding which Philip has already received at Pentecost and with the help of this gift he was able to explain the scriptures to him. This is because, the mysteries of God’s revelation have been made known to him and with the Spirit’s prompting, this mysteries can be penetrated and understood by humanity.

 The fact remains, that God created us for friendship and this gift of understanding enables us to understand God’s love, mercy, glory, and power which moves our heart to love and live as adopted sons and daughters of God. Little wonder, Jesus in our Gospel passage today said: “No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me, for it is written in the prophets: They will all be taught by God, and will hear the teaching of the Father, and learn from it”.

Dear friends, we must desire to have the gift of understanding, for this gift, penetrates the truths of faith, operates in several ways: disclosing the hidden meaning of Sacred Scripture; revealing the significance of symbols and figures. It gives us deeper insight into the meaning of the our faith and the moral teachings which serve as standards for human actions. This gift imparts a sense of confidence and certainty in our belief. It helps us grasps the reality of heaven our beatific vision.

It is a gift that is really lacking in our lives not just as Christian but as individuals living in societies full of confusion and lack of sense of direction. But, how can we acquire the gift of understanding? How can the gift of understanding help us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our faith in relation to our struggles with the ugly situations in our world today? The answer is simple, we must learn, just like the Ethiopian Eunuch to cultivate the habit of listening to the Holy Spirit who never ceases to speak to us deep down our conscience.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we listen to your words today, give us the gift of understanding so that we can grasp the meaning of the truths of our faith in relation to our struggles with the ugly situations in our world today. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a favourable day.

The Homily for Wednesday in Third Week of Easter Year C, 4th May, 2022

 The Homily for Wednesday in Third Week of Easter Year C, 4th May, 2022

Readings: Acts. 8:1-8; Ps.66; John 6:35-40

Rev  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 LET YOUR SOUL BE SATISFIED WITH THE BREAD OF ETERNAL LIFE

What can ever satisfy the human hunger and thirst for peace, wholeness, righteousness, love and joy? These are the things we search everyday of our lives. But we seem to have little or no answer. This is because we have often failed to listen to God’s words calling us and directing us towards the path of truth which he has revealed through his son our Lord Jesus Christ, who has been speaking to us in our Gospel since his resurrection. 

Thus, today Jesus continues with his teaching on the bread of life, he seeks to draw those who listened to him into a profound relationship with himself. He asks them to believe in his wonderful promises about eternal life. In the same way he invites us to partake in a life that is indestructible, to share in the very life of God. Jesus wants us to know that he is the food of our souls. Our souls are really starving due to sins, and indeed thirsty for holiness, love, peace and purity. In Jesus alone can staving and empty souls find their strength and satisfaction. For in him, there is fullness of life. 

The fact remains that Jesus is the bread of life which came down from heaven. And he wants us to commit our souls into his hands. Thus, whenever we experience anything of spiritual hunger and thirsty, we must come to Jesus and be satisfied. This is what was lacking in the life Saul, who in our first reading today worked for the total destruction of the Church after he had witnessed and ensured the stoning and death of Stephen. So, he went from house to house arresting both men and women and sending them to prison.  But those who had escaped from him went from place to place preaching the Good News of peace, love holiness and salvation.

Dear friends, like Saul, are we weigh down by sorrows in conscience or staving in affections and love especially in this difficult moment in human history and thereby acting in ignorance? Or are we like the disciples who even in the midst of persecution remained faithful in witnessing the love they have found in Jesus. Whatever the situation maybe for us now, we must know that Jesus is always ready to relieve and restore us whenever we come to him in faith, for in him alone shall we find lasting satisfaction, peace and love both now and for eternity.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, often times we are thirsty and hungry down within our souls, may we find in the Words of Jesus that satisfactions which our souls so desired and by so doing fine eternal life. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you the best of God’s favour and blessings.

The Homily for Tuesday in Third Week of Easter Year C, 3rd May, 2022. The Feast of SS Philip and James

 The Homily for Tuesday in Third Week of Easter Year C, 3rd  May, 2022. The Feast of SS Philip and James

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

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

DO WE REALLY BELIEVE IN GOD HAS OUR FATHER?

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 Monday in Third Week of Easter Year C, 2nd May, 2022. The Memorial of St. Athanasius

 The Homily for Monday in Third Week of Easter Year C, 2nd May, 2022. The Memorial of St. Athanasius

Readings: Acts. 6:8-15; Ps.119; John 6:22-29

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

LET US EMBRACE THE FOOD THAT ENDURES FOR ETERNAL LIFE AND SO BEAR AUTHENTIC WITNESS OF THE LORD

 

In every human heart, there is a secret garden which God has made uniquely for himself and that garden is our conscience. However, God is always at the gate of this garden knocking, but we pretend not to hear him. The truth is that everyday God gives us the grace to experience him and bear witness, he makes himself present in us but we often ignore him or pretend we do not perceive his presence. 

This was the attitude of the men who sought to kill Stephen out of jealousy in our first reading today, where we heard the account of St. Stephen, one of the first deacons who full of grace and power bears witness to the risen Lord before the people. He worked many miracles and great signs among the people. But some group of men felt so infuriated and ground their teeth at him since they cannot withstand his wisdom. Nevertheless, Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. This he witnessed before them and they saw his face like that of an angel.  

Dear friends, this was possible because Stephen opened completely the door of his heart and finding God, he witnessed him with his life. We too have been given the grace to bear authentic witness to the faith we have found in Jesus who tells us in our Gospel passage today, to believe in him and work for the food which endures to eternal life, the kind of food the Son of Man is offering us.  That is, the eternal food of love, compssion, mercy, kindness, peace and salvation. 

These were the food that Stephen had received from the Lord when he opened the door of his heart and these same food he offered to the members of the Sanhedrin but they cannot comprehend or withstand it. Therefore, Jesus is calling us to work for these kind of food that comes from the heart of a person who has personally encountered him, the risen Lord. So, let us open our hearts to embrace the eternal food of love, compassion, mercy, kindness, peace and salvation which the Lord is offering to humanity in order to bear authentic witness of him to the world.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, through the intercessions of St. Athanasius, give us the grace and courage to bear authentic witness of Your goodness in the world especially at this moment when humanity needs You the most. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. As the week begins, be strong, be hopeful and stay safe for God is still in control.

The Homily for Third Sunday of Easter Year C, 1st May, 2022. Happy New Month

 The Homily for Third Sunday of Easter Year C, 1st May, 2022. Happy New Month

Readings: Acts.5:27-32.40-41; Ps. 30; Rev. 5:11-14; John 21:1-19

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

THE MOMENT OF RESTORATION HAS COME 

Today being the third Sunday of the Holy season of Easter, we are presented with the theme of restoration. This is important because we have often fallen and separated ourselves from God as a result of the ups and downs of life. For everyday we are faced with new struggles. Yes, we struggle for life, we struggle for survival, we struggle against the manipulation of the evil ones. More challenging is the struggles we face within our own self especially our weakness and sinfulness.

 The effects of these fall and restoration are evidence among the disciples of Jesus. All the time they were with Jesus they struggled to be like him, to follow his ways and to understand him and it wasn’t easy. In the cause of these struggles they failed several times, they denied him, they suffered, and sinned against the Lord Jesus despite their love for him. But this was well predicted by Jesus who warned them to remain steadfast even in the midst of these struggles. 

However, after all the struggles and fall during his passion and death, Jesus decided to strengthen and restore his disciples once again as regards the great task ahead before departing from them. So in the occasion of Gospel passage today, Jesus said to Peter the leader of his Apostles: ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep.’ Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.

Here  we can imagine the disposition of the disciples when seeing the Lord as they sat together round the fire, eating silently the meal which Jesus had prepared, and no doubt gazing silently at the Lord’s silent. It must really be a great moment of tension as to how the oppressive silence was to be broken and how Peter’s heart must have been troubled when the great silence was broken with the words: Simon, son of John, do you love me? These three times questions have a special force in the restoration of him who had three times denied his Master, and now three times declares his love for Him, and he is three times restored and entrusted with a great task of feeding his master’s sheep. 

From this gracious act we see how God through Jesus treats a soul conscious of its sinfulness and fault; and in Peter’s disposition we see an illustration of how a soul, conscious of its sinfulness and fault, should behave before God.  This gracious event is very symbolic not just that the Lord had forgiven Peter for his threefold denial at the moment of his arrest and suffering, but also that, the Lord restored him again as the leader of his flocks and the entire Universal Church. 

We can see the effect of this restoration in the response of Peter and the other apostles in our first reading today when they said to the council of Pharisees: ‘Obedience to God comes before obedience to men; it was the God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, but it was you who had him executed by hanging on a tree. By his own right hand God has now raised him up to be leader and saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through him to Israel. We are witnesses to all this, we and the Holy Spirit. And John in his vision as we heard in our second reading said: the Lamb that was sacrificed is worthy to be given power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory and blessing.

Dear friends, this is a moment of restoration, for in our struggles in this life we have done ugly and sinful things that we are really regretting and don’t what to remember or talk about them just like St Peter and the other disciples. Wishing we could have changed or avoided them, but there is nothing we can do about them anymore except to seek for restoration. And this restoration is what Jesus is offering us today as he says: my child do you still love me? Do you really love me? Do you love me more than all the things of this passing world? 

All we have to say in consciousness of our faults and sinfulness is: Lord you know everything, yes I truly love you. And just like St Peter, the Lord Jesus will not only forgive us, he will restore us to a greater glory. So why struggling in silence, it’s time to break open the hidden wounds of sin in our hearts, for the Lord wants to heal and restore us once again so that we can be open and free to receive the Holy Spirit the promised Paraclete, who will restore us afresh to God’s greater glory.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we anticipate the coming of the Holy Spirit, we come to you today conscious of our faults and sinfulness, grant us we pray your healing and restoration through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy New Month.