Homily For Sunday, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, 8th January, 2023

Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6, Ps. 72, Eph 3:2-3.5-6, Matt.2:1-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

CELEBRATING THE MANIFESTATION OF THE LORD THE LIGHT OF OUR FAITH

 

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Epiphany of our Lord, an occasion where we continue to contemplate and celebrate the mystery of the birth of Jesus. Epiphany was first celebrated in Africa, Egypt precisely, where it was used to replace a pagan feast, where the people celebrate the victory of light over darkness.

 

However, the word “Epiphany” means manifestation or revelation. So it is the solemnity of the manifestation of the Lord the Light of our faith. Thus in our first reading we heard prophet Isaiah saying: Arise, shine out, Jerusalem, for your light has come, the glory of the Lord is rising on you, all are assembling and coming towards you. Your sons from far away and your daughters being tenderly carried in the arms.

 

 In our Gospel passage we see how the Wise Men being led by a star journeyed a long distance in search of the new born king. They were probably sages in search of something more about life, in search of the true light that could point out the path to true meaning of life. This journey of the Wise Men was bold, courageous and imaginative. For some persons, they may appeared to be foolish even a little crazy. No doubt that they encountered many difficulties and experienced some moments of doubt and danger. Yet in spite of the difficulties, doubt and dangers they preserved in their search and were joyful when they finally found the baby Jesus.

 

Thus, today the Wise Men find, crying in a manger, the one they have followed as he shone in the sky. They saw clearly, in swaddling clothes, the one they have long awaited as he lay hidden among the stars. Today, the Wise Men gaze in deep wonder at what they see: heaven on earth, earth in heaven, man in God, God in man, one whom the whole universe cannot contain now enclosed in a tiny body. As they look, they believed and do not questioned anymore , as their symbolic gifts bear witness: incense for God, gold for a king, myrrh for one who is to die.

 

In this journey the light of a star guided them, they did not know where the star was leading them. Hence, their journey was very much a journey of faith, knowing that the star was a means by which a great mystery was to be revealed. The journey of these Wise Men symbolizes our journey of faith and it can serve as a model for us as we struggle on our journey of faith. For the faith of the Wise Men is the first fruits of the belief of the Gentiles, so the Gentiles, who were the last, became the first.

 

Thus is our journey, for just as they were guided by the light of a star so we are guided by the light of faith. Little wonder in our second reading we heard St Paul saying: This mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to all, in Jesus Christ, through the Gospel.

 

Dear friends, we can learn something great from these Wise Men. First, their journey was one of searching and questioning, of fear and hope, of pain and joy. It is not an easy journey. Our journey of faith contains all of these elements. Like the Wise Men, we can expect to encounter difficulties and experience doubts. But, we can draw inspiration from their courage and perseverance.

 

Also, we can learn some thing about Herod. As the Wise Men journeyed through the great city of Bethlehem the star disappears, they could no longer see it. For them, it was logical to seek the new king in the royal palace, where they believe that wise men were to be found. But to their amazement, the newborn child was not found in the places of power and culture. Hence, king Herod in anger seeks to kill the child.

 

Here, perhaps, we should ask ourselves: is there something of Herod in us? Have we in anyway seen God as a sort of rival? Have we been blind to the signs God is offering us or pay deaf ears to his words because we think he is setting limits on our life and does not allow us to live as we wish?

 

Another thing we can learn from the Wise Men is that, they did not travel alone, they traveled in a little community of three believers. We then, must not try to make the journey of our faith alone, we need to journey with our brothers and sisters in our community. We need to support one another. However we have one great advantage over these Wise Men. At the start of their journey they knew nothing about Christ. We already know Christ and have encountered him in faith.

 

Nevertheless, the fact that we have not seen him face-to-face means we have not yet arrived at our final destination. So we are still searching, still journeying to encounter Jesus the light of the world. Thus the journey of faith is the journey of a lifetime. The goal of this journey is to arrive at the heavenly Bethlehem where we can see Jesus and experience his glory.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we celebrate the manifestation of your Son Jesus today, let the light of his presence dispel the darkness in our lives, in our families, societies and so illuminate our paths as we struggle and journey in faith towards achieving our goals and purposes in life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Saturday Before Epiphany, 7th January, 2023

Readings : 1 John 5:14-21; Ps 149; John 2:1-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

LEARN TO DO WHATEVER  THE LORD TELLS YOU

 

As the year unfolds our Liturgy today calls our attention to something very important especially as regards our plans and purposes this year. Little wonder our Gospel passage today presents to us the story of an event that portrays what ought to be our relationship with Jesus and his mother Mary in every events of our daily lives this year.

 

Here, we see how the wedding couple invited Jesus and his disciples in the most important day of their lives. And when an embarrassing moment came up during the course of the celebration, Mary in her usual way of helping people asked Jesus to save the couple from social embarrassment and even when her request was not granted by her son, she had strong faith that he will not refuse her request. So she said to the servants: “ Do whatever he tells you”.

 

By this request Mary who represents the Church reveals to us the key to achieving our goals and plans this year. That is to say that, the secret key that opens the treasure of success in our daily activities this year is to do whatever the Lord Jesus tells us. But what did Jesus say we should do? He told the servants: Fill, Draw and Serve.

 

Here, Jesus is telling us to fill our life with the water of salvation which he offers us every day through his Words and Eucharist and when we have filled our lives with the fountain of his presence, then we should draw from the joy it offers and serve the humanity who are really in need and thirsty for the word of God especially at this moment in our world when humanity really hope and seek for God’s intervention in our societies and our country Nigeria in the up coming elections

 

Dear friends, we must learn to do whatever the Lord tells us this year. For we really need to fill our lives with the words of Jesus, which we hear everyday. We need to learn from our mother Mary who never ceases to pounder God’s words in her heart. We need to learn how to serve others from the abundant we have received from God. We need to draw from the fountain of grace and gifts that God has given to us in order to build up our families, societies, country and continent.

 

We need to learn how to sacrifice for the good of others. We need to learn how to intercede for others who are passing through difficult moments. But this is possible only when we have filled our empty soul with love, peace, joy and happiness that comes from know that Jesus cares so much about us personally and collectively.

 

So we must learn to ask and pray for one another for St. John in our first reading today said if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, the situation of human life in our world today is really frightening, as we listen to your words today, may we find strength to do your will always, may you protect us from the evil manipulations and agenda of the wicked in our societies and our country Nigeria. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Homily For Friday Before Epiphany, 6th January, 2023

Readings : 1 John 3:5:5-13; Ps 147; Mark 1:7-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

“YOU ARE MY BELOVED SON;WITH YOU I AM WELL PLEASED”

Today’s Liturgy presents to us the events that occurred at the baptism of our Lord Jesus. Here we see how the plan of God for the redemption of humanity was manifested. For in our Gospel passage today we heard how the true identity of the chosen servant of God was confirmed at the baptism of Jesus where God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and power and his voice was heard saying: “This is My beloved Son; with Whom I am well pleased." This shows God's revelation to mankind especially about the mystery of the Trinity and also to reveal Jesus’ true identity and mission.

 This of course reminds us of our identity and mission as Christ faithful. It reminds us of who we are and our commitment to God on the day we were baptized. It also reminds us that Jesus received baptism not because he needs it, rather, it is to identify himself with his people, who, as a result of John's preaching, are now aware of their sins and of their need for repentance. This symbolizes the new covenant God wants to make with humanity, thereby calling us to repentance and faith in God.

Little wonder in our first reading, we heard John stressing on the important of professing our faith in Jesus Christ which is an essential aspect of our faith. He said Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Dear friends, God during the baptism of Jesus manifested and confirmed the mission of his son when he said this is my beloved Son; with whom I am well pleased. For we are invited today to come and receive the immortality that flows from this baptism through the testimonies of water, Spirit and Blood which bear witness to the love of God for humanity. For this is the water that is linked to the Spirit, the water that irrigates Paradise, makes the earth fertile, gives growth to plants, and brings forth living creatures.

Here through baptism we acknowledge our dignity as God’s children, for we are called to live as children of God in thought, word and action, to live a holy and transparent Christian life and not to desecrate our bodies with impurity, injustice, intolerance, jealousy or hatred. Rather we should learn to grow daily in intimacy with God and be co-creators in building up of his Kingdom on earth.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we thank you for the gift of your presence with us. As we listen to your voice today may we experience you personally in our lives and so be filled with the grace and joy of Christ’s presence, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Homily For Thursday Before Epiphany, 5th January, 2023

Readings : 1 John 3:11-21; Ps 100; John 1:43-51

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

CAN I BE A SIGN OF INTEGRITY IN A WORLD FULL OF CORRUPTION AND DECEPTION?

 

In our society today, morals and virtuous acts are no longer valuable and fashionable as the society seems to be living, promoting and celebrating artful deception, dishonesty, corruption and fraudsters. Integrity has become virus to be eliminated as quickly as possible while heroes of deception and fraudsters are honored and celebrated.

 

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

 

Nathaniel thought that nothing good can come out of Nazareth, but when he encountered Jesus, he exclaimed, “Rabbi you are the son of God” and Jesus acknowledge his faith and promised him that he will see the heaven opened angels ascending and descending. This teaches us that we should not underrate people because of their humbled background. But like Phillip who introduced Nathaniel to Jesus, we are called to share our experience of Jesus with those we encounter in life no matter their background, for it can be a great opportunity for them to encounter God.

 

Dear friends, the world needs people of integrity like that of Nathaniel and today we are called to imitate him. But can I be a sign of integrity in a world full of corruption and deceit? Can I say no to corruption and greediness? Can I speak and stand for truth in my dealing with people this year? Let our everyday encounter with Jesus this year help to transform us, and by so doing we can transform the ugly situation in our societies and the world at large through our witnessing.

 

Little wonder St.  John in our first reading today said: You must not be surprised, brothers, when the world hates you; since we have passed out of death and into life, and of this we can be sure because we love our brothers. If you refuse to love, you must remain dead; to hate your brother is to be a murderer, and murderers, as you know, do not have eternal life in them.

 

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

 

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

Homily For Wednesday Before Epiphany, 4rd January, 2023

 Readings : 1 John 3:7-10 , Ps 98, John 1:35-42

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

AN ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS THE LAMB OF GOD

 

Everyday is an opportunity to encounter God through different events that occur in our lives. Sometimes we have memorable and remarkable events in our lives, but often times we have insignificant ones. I don’t know if you have ever had an experience that made you realize the emptiness of the things of this passing world, a kind of experience that turns pride into humility, sinfulness into righteousness. Weaknesses to strengthen.

 

This is the kind of experience the two John’s disciples had when he showed them Jesus the Lamb of God. They followed him and remained with him. They encountered Jesus and their lives never remained the same again. This very encounter brought about their true vocation and destiny from John’s disciples to disciples of Christ.

 

We heard that one of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. For early next morning, Andrew met his brother Simon and brought him to Jesus, who looked hard at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’ meaning Rock

 

Dear friends, like these two disciples of John the Baptist, we are called to reflect on our personal experience with God. How have we experience God, when was you spiritual turning point, have you really experience God personally. Can we share confidently our personal conviction about God with others. In case we don’t even know if you have any personal experience of God, 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.

 

The problem why often it seems as if we are far away from God is because we are so attached to things of this world such as: greed, guilty passion, evil desires, fornication, impurity, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god. It is because of these kinds behaviour that makes us stay far away from God and it gets worst when one is surrounded by people who are doing the same thing. Little wonder St John in our first reading today said: my children, do not let anyone lead you astray: to live a holy life is to be holy just as he is holy; to lead a sinful life is to belong to the devil, since the devil was a sinner from the beginning.

 

Therefore this new year, we must give up all our ugly attitudes of getting  unnecessary angry, being bad-tempered, spitefulness, the use of abusive language and dirty talk and telling of lies. Thus, we must put off our old behaviour and put on a new self which looks up towards encountering Jesus the Lamb of God.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God,  you often wish that we should know you. As we go about our daily activities, may you experience you in a unique way and through this experience discover our true vocation in life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Peace be with you.

Homily For Tuesday Before Epiphany, 3rd January, 2023

 Readings : 1 John 2:29-3:6 , Ps 98, John 1:29-34

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

I HAVE SEEN AND I AM A WITNESS

 

As Christians our duty is to teach and bear sincere witness to God’s commandments by our ways of life. This of course points out the mission of the Church in proclaiming the word of God and our part in this mission. Little wonder the Gospel passage today reminds us of how God has called us all to follow Christ, the Lamb of God and Saviour of the world. For hen John the Baptist in saw Jesus passing by he declared: ‘this is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world... Yes, I have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of God.’

 

Here John is pointing out the essence of Jesus’ mission, whose coming was foretold by prophet Isaiah (49:3.5-6), telling us about that great Servant of God, whose mission was to bring sinners back to God. Consider this great task of Jesus, John introduced him as a Lamb of God and not Lion and also described the Holy Spirit as a dove, not a hawk which is more powerful.

 

why? Because, the Lamb is the most gentle, harmless and loving creature of God while the dove is a gentle bird, a symbol of peace and goodwill.  So these images tell us about the person and approach by which Jesus will carry out his mission. Consequently, Jesus, the gentle Lamb of God, gently died for our sins, so that we could live in joy and freedom of God’s children, teaching us to bear authentic witness of this great event in our relationship with one another.

 

This is our vocation and mission for John said in our first reading: You know that God is righteous then you must recognise that everyone whose life is righteous has been begotten by him. So, to all of us Christians, who have been called to follow Christ and have been sanctified and blessed to be God’s people, who are reunited and brought together from the world to bear the fruit of love and holiness of life. So that we can be true and living witnesses of our faith in God, to proclaim His salvation among the nations and the peoples of the earth.

 

Dear friends, like John we can say: I have seen and I am a witness. For we have been entrusted with the great task of witnessing. We are commissioned as Christ disciples to go forth and make disciples of all the nations, making all peoples to be God’s children through His Church by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are called to bear authentic witness of our experience of God.

 

 But how can we achieve this task? The approach is given to us by John the Baptist, who tells us to follow the way of the Lamb and the dove. That is, we are to be the most gentle, harmless and loving children of God, we must be a symbol of peace, compassion and goodwill. We are not to force people to believe in God by the use of intimidation or force, and neither should we use any forms of tricks or false persuasions.

 

All these methods do not usually lead to true faith and love for God, and in fact they may cause people to turn away from God and the Christian faith. Instead, we should love people and do our best in living our lives with faith and holiness each and every moments of our life. Because, if our actions and way of life do not match what we profess to believe in, how can we then expect people to believe in us or in the Lord. For instead of bringing others closer to God, we will only end up sending them further away from God.

 

Therefore, as the year unfolds, we are all challenged to live our lives as the Lord has taught us. We should put our trust in the Lord and make him the center of our lives in every actions. We should show love, care, compassion and concern for our fellow brothers and sisters just as the Lord has loved us.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, give us the grace and courage to bear authentic witness of your Gospel in a world where people are confused and no longer pay attention to your word. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a peaceful day

Homily For Monday Before Epiphany, 2nd January, 2023

The Memorials of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops,

Readings : 1 John 2:22-28 , Ps 97, John 1:19-28

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE IN THIS WORLD?

 

Oftentimes, things happen in our lives that we can not explain how and why they happened. This is to tell us that we are unique and special, because, in our uniqueness we come to realize that God has a special plan for everyone. Today, in our Gospel passage, we heard about the role and the personality of John the Baptist's in redemptive plan of God. This is obvious when John was questioned by the Pharisees. They asked him, who are you? This is a fundamental question we need to ask ourselves everyday. John explained to them that he is just a voice and his role and purpose is to cry in the wilderness in order to make a straight way for the Lord.

 

This is a fundamental question because it points out to the fundamental reality of who we are and what we have identified ourselves to with. A lot of people do not know who they are or what they have identified themselves with. A lot of people today are sufferings and struggling because they do not know who they are and the identity they bear. Some have misplaced their identity with some thing else, some are putting on an identity that doesn’t belong to them.

 

Dear friends, Who are you? What is your identity? What is the source of your identity? Whose identity are you putting on now? Why are you putting on someone else identity? Why have you misplaced your identity. John the Baptist was very clear about his identity, he was clear that he was not the Christ. He was clear that he was not Elijah. John was clear that he was not the prophet, he was only a voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord.

 

The fact remains that every human person has a special role to play in the Masters plan of God. Though some seem to have more significant role than others. However, whether significant or not, the truth still remains that we all have a role to play. But the question is, how are we playing this role? Are we playing according to the master plan or against it? Are we confuse about who we are and our role in this master plan of God or have deviated from it.

 

As the year begins we must ask ourselves the fundamental question: who am I? what is my purpose on this earth? To discover these, we must ensure that we cooperate with God's plan for us and to do these three things are very essential. First we must learn to pray the right way, secondly, we must have a convincing plan, nurture it and not deviate from it. Thirdly, we must be disciplined and strive to live a holy life. Remember, we are playing our own role in the salvation of mankind, our existence means a lot to future generation.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, our true identity is found only in you through Christ your son, as we rejoice and celebrate his birthday, may we be filled with the joy of his presence and through the intercession of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen,  grant us the grace to live out your purpose in this life.  We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful week.