Homily For Monday Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 18th September, 2023

Reading: 1Tim. 2:1-8 ; Ps. 28; Luke 7:1-10

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

WHY NOT EXPRESS YOUR FAITH AND PRAYERS LIKE THE ROMAN CENTURION

 

The doctrines of the Church teaches us that faith is a supernatural gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused in us by God. Little wonder our level of faith are not the same. However, our gift of faith grows depending on our disposition and utilization of the gift. That is why, when Jesus invites people to faith and conversion, he does not coerced them, rather they come to faith through their good disposition and utilization of their experience with him.

 

This is exactly the case with the Roman centurion in our Gospel passage today, who sorts help for his sick servant through some Jewish elders whom he sent to Jesus to ask him to come and heal his servant, but when Jesus accepted to come to his home, the centurion hesitates, feeling unworthy of Jesus’ presence in his home, said to him “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and my servant will be healed”. 

 

Here the centurion believes that Jesus can speak a word of healing, and that will be enough to cure his servant. He has total faith and trust in the power of Jesus’ word. For him, the servant did not even need to hear Jesus speak the word: it was enough that the word was spoken. Jesus praised his faith and genuine humility. Today, these words of the centurion has become a pattern of prayer for us, that before Holy Communion we say it passionately because, his faith and compassion are inspiring example for us to follow.

 

This is exactly the kind of faith that all of us must have as well. The faith that leads us to seek God wholeheartedly, to be humble before Him and to love Him above all and not to allow our pride, ego and desires lead us into faithlessness, disobedience and sin against God. We are also called to trust God at all times, for St Paul in our first reading today said:  my advice is that, first of all, there should be prayers offered for everyone: petitions, intercessions and thanksgiving. For there is only one God, and there is only one mediator between God and mankind, himself a man, Christ Jesus, who sacrificed himself as a ransom for all.

 

Dear friends, what is our disposition towards the gift of faith that God has given us? Do we have total faith and trust in God just like the Centurion? The fact remains that our experiences of evil, injustice, suffering and death can shake or shape the gift of faith in us depending on our disposition. Remember, the Centurion interceded for his sick servant, do we intercede for others who are in need of God’s healing and mercy? Do we know that we can speak God’s word in prayer and someone, somewhere, will find healing? Do we often like this Centurion, recognize in all humility our unworthiness before God?  We are called today to learn from this man’s act of humility, faith and intercessory prayer.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we are weak and oftentimes we display an act of faithlessness due to the pressure and challenges of life. May You increase our faith and make us humble and patience in doing Your will. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful week.

Homily For Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, 17th September, 2023.

Readings: Sirach 27:30-28:7, Ps.103, Rom 14:7-9, Matt. 18:21-35

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I FAIL TO FORGIVE OTHER PEOPLE?

 

The word forgiveness is often used to express compassionate feelings that support a willingness to let go of a mistake or an offence committed against someone. It is a word we desire to hear from others but very difficult to offer to others. Little wonder in our Lord’s prayer, there is a portion that points out something so important about the word forgiveness. This portion says “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us” (Matt.6:12).

 

In this prayer, we have a fundamental principle of Christian life, by which we make a covenant and commitment that will be a standard through which we are going to be judged as regards our relationship with others and with God. But often we are not conscious of these principles especially when we have to face the difficult moment of forgiving a grievous offence.

 

Thus, St. Peter being conscious of this fact, asked Jesus in our Gospel passage today, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy times seven. And he practicalized his answer with an example of a servant who owed his master a huge debt that he and his generation could not pay. But when he pleads for mercy, the master forgave him all the debts.

 

However, this same servant found a fellow servant who owed him as little as one hundred denarii, he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him and even when he pleaded for mercy, instead of forgiving him, he put him in prison according to the norms of the law until he had paid his debt.

 

This unforgiven servant did to his fellow servant what the master could have done to him, but did not. When the master heard how he treated his fellow servant, he said to him: “You wicked servant! I have forgiven you all your debt because you appealed to me. Were you not bound then to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?

 

And, angry, the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debts.” Jesus then said this is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’ For God will apply the principle he has given us in our Lord’s Prayer, which automatically puts us where we properly belong based on how we have related to others.

 

In this story, we see the extreme estimate of the debt the servant owed his master, ten thousand talents, even if he and his family had to work their whole life, they would never have been able to pay that debt. This is because a denarius is a day's wage for a common workingman. While one talent is 6,000 denarii or 20 years of daily wages. That means he would need to work 6,000 days to earn one talent and we are talking about ten thousand talents. That is 60,000,000 denarii or 200,000years compared to 100days his fellow servant owed him

 

So, that’s a huge amount, in fact, there was no comparison between the two debtors at all. However, this is meant to expose to us the ugly attitude of unforgiveness and also help us to understand that our debt before God is so huge and countless that we cannot be able to pay them.

 

And this is why we must forgive others, for we are told in our first reading that resentment and anger are nothing but foul things, and both are found among sinners. For he who exacts vengeance will experience the vengeance of the Lord, who keeps strict account of our sin. Thus we must forgive our neighbour for the wrongs they have done to us so that when we pray, our sins will be forgiven.

 

We must remember the covenant with our Lord and so overlook the offence of others and live by the commandments in conscious of the events of the last day, the day of judgement after death. For this reason, St. Paul in our second reading tells us that the life and death of each of us have its influence on others; if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the Lord. So why not forgive others who have wronged us?

 

Dear friends, the question we need to ask ourselves is: what happens when we fail to forgive other people? What will happen is that we will not be forgiven by God. Also, the negative consequences of not forgiving other people can lead to emotional pain and bust of anger, hatred, hurtful feelings, resentment, bitterness, stress, anxiety, depression and blaming others for our negative feelings which can create health issues, negative effects in our relationships with others and stop us from experiencing the freedom that forgiveness offers.

 

Friends, there is no doubt that forgiving a grievous offence can be very difficult. But there are many reasons why we must forgive and one of these strong reasons is that forgiveness is like recovering a lost treasure that contains: inner joy, peace, freedom and healing.  So my dear friends, are there people we have vowed not to forgive? Have people hurt us so badly that we can’t forgive them? Have we offended people and cannot be humble enough to ask for their forgiveness? Do we think that our sins are so huge for God to forgive? Are we finding it difficult to forgive those who have offended us?

 

 Today Jesus is asking us to learn how to forgive others unconditionally from our hearts so that God will also forgive us always and unconditionally. Therefore, we must never refuse to forgive or reject an offer of reconciliation in our relationship with God and with our fellow human beings and if this becomes difficult, we must bring it to Jesus in prayer for our palmist tells us that our Lord is compassionate and loving, slow to anger and rich in mercy.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, our debts are so huge in comparison with the little debts of forgiveness others owe us. As we make it a habit to forgive others from our hearts, may we experience your mercy and discover the hidden treasures that forgiveness brings. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a grace-filled Sunday celebration.

Homily For Saturday Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 16th September 2023. The Memorial of SS Cornelius and Cyprian

Readings: 1Tim. 1:15-17;  Ps.113; Luke: 6: 43-49

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

THE HEART THAT LISTEN AND CARRY OUT THE WORD OF GOD BEARS GOOD FRUITS

 

A tree is known to be either good or bad, healthy or sick by the fruit it produces. In the same way, the human heart is known to be either good or bad, holy or sinful, sincere or corrupt by the fruits of our words and actions rooted in our character.

 

Little wonder Jesus in our Gospel passage today said: A good man draws what is

good from the store of goodness in his heart; a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness. For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart. Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and acts on them is like the man who when he built his house laid the foundations on a rock. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations.

 

Here, as Jesus concludes the sermon on the plain, he tells us that hearing and doing the word of God is building our faith on a rocky foundation, that cornerstone, that solid ground, through the fiercest drought and storms of life. This is because the fruit of the Word of God in us is seen when tested in the storms of life. He also reminds us that it is not enough to hear the word of God; we must put it into practice. That it is not sufficient to speak about God, we must practice what we speak. We must let the Word of God touch and shape our lives so that we can bear good and healthy fruit.

 

For it is a waste of time and energy if our lives do not reflect the Gospel we preach if we do not hear the words of Jesus and act on them. Hence, we must embrace the word of God in our lives and let it unite us together so that we can bear good fruits even in our corrupt society. And St. Paul in our first reading tells us that: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And himself is the greatest of them; and if mercy has been shown to him, it is because Jesus Christ meant to make him the greatest evidence of his inexhaustible patience for all the other people who would later have to trust in him to come to eternal life.

 

This is the same with Pope Cornelius and St. Cyprian whose memorial we celebrate today. For they were holy servants of God who dedicated their lives to the service of God and for the love of God and their neighbour. And for this, they died as martyrs under great persecution, of which they stood firm in their faith and hope which is rooted in their love for God and neighbours.

 

Dear friends, what kind of fruit are we bearing deep down in our hearts? How has the word of God changed my life and the lives of those around me? How has the word of God challenged and propelled me to love God and my neighbours? Is my attitude towards the word of God like that of the foolish builder who takes shortcuts for quick results? Or that of a wise builder who spends time digging secured foundations through constant meditation and practice of the word of God?

 

Therefore, we must know that whenever we hear the word, we must apply it in our daily lives, because that's the only way we can feed our soul and bear good fruits. This is important because our society today have enough hearers of the Word, what we need now is doers of the Word, men and women who will feed their lives with the Word of God and from the abundance of their heart live a life that will influence the society positively. Remember, the houses built by wise and foolish persons may probably look alike. But the difference is the foundations, which can only be revealed when tested by the storms of life.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, through your Word we find life and hope in Christ your Son who is our all in all.  Through the intercessions of SS Cornelius and Cyprian grant us the grace to embrace your word in our lives and so bear good and healthy fruits rooted on a rocky foundation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed and peaceful weekend.

Homily For Friday Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 15th September, 2023. The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

Readings: Tim. 1:1-2.12-14;  Ps. 16; John 19:25-27

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

LEARN TO BEAR YOUR SORROWS OF LIFE PATIENTLY LIKE OUR MOTHER MARY

 

In life, we encounter ugly events and challenges that cause us sorrows and tears. And often we don't know how to manage those moments. For just yesterday we celebrated the exaltation and triumph of the Holy Cross, today we are celebrating the sorrows of our Blessed Mother, who experienced a feeling of great sorrow at the suffering and death of her Son who suffered grievously for the sins and faults of others and the sake of the redemption of all humanity.

 

So as we commemorate our Lady's greatest sorrows: beginning with the prophecy of Simeon in the temple, her flight into Egypt with the infant Jesus, the loss of Jesus at the age of 12 in Jerusalem, Mary's encounter with her son Jesus on his way to Calvary, his crucifixion, death and burial. In fact, our Gospel passage today tells us that Jesus seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son. Then to the disciple, he said, ‘This is your mother.’

 

Thus from that moment, the disciple made a place for her in his home. This very action may seem so easy for those who have not experienced the painful torture that comes from witnessing the suffering of your loved ones. But for those who have experienced such torture, especially our good mothers, we will understand better that it is harder to watch the pains and suffering of your loved ones than to bear our own pains. Hence, we can now understand the situation and condition our Lady was passing through for the sake of obedience to God’s will as she watched Jesus suffer for our redemption. 

 

Dear friends, I don’t know what kind of sorrow you are carrying in your heart. Is it the sorrows caused by the ugly situation in your life, your family, your place of work, or your inability to achieve your goals and dreams in life? Or is it sorrows caused by other people or caused by mistakes of your past ugly ways of life? Whatever and however deep the sorrows are, today we are called to learn how to bear our sorrows of life patiently like our Mother Mary by linking them to the will of God.

 

Let us learn how to present our sorrows and problems to God in prayer by raising up our minds and hearts to him and since he promised that he will teach us the way we should go; instruct us and advise us. This is what St. Paul experienced in our first reading today when he said: I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, and who judged me faithful enough to call me into his service even though I used to be a blasphemer and did all I could to injure and discredit the faith. Because until I became a believer I had been acting in ignorance; but the grace of our Lord filled me with faith and with the love that is in Christ Jesus.

 

Therefore,  let us listen to what God is calling us to do and ensure we do them just like our Mother Mary because the Lord Jesus speaks to us from the depths of our hearts and he desires that we listen to him whenever we pray and associate our sorrows with his own just like Mary our mother.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, there are so many sorrows in our lives and people are doing all they can to overcome them. Through the intercession of Our Lady of Sorrows, may we experience your love and help us to know the best ways to bear our sorrows patiently. We asked this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Our Lady of Sorrows, Pray For Us.

Homily For Thursday Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 14th September, 2023. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Readings: Num. 21:4-9, Ps.78, Phil.2:6-11, John 3:13-17

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

WHAT DO YOU SEE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE CROSS OF CHRIST?

 

Today we celebrate the Feast of the exaltation of the Holy Cross, this feast is so important to our Christian faith, because the Holy Cross is a symbol of sacrificial victory of our faith. This Feast began when St. Helena discovered the relic of the true Cross on which Jesus was crucified, which was preserved in Jerusalem. A sacred relic that represents the mystery of the unending love of God for humanity.

 

Though, the cross in the eyes of early Christians had no beauty, it was a sign of sorrow, a symbol of courage, an expression of faith which stood outside the city walls, decorated only with decaying corpses of Christ faithful who died for their faith in Christ. They are left on the cross as a threat to anyone who beliefs in Jesus.

 

But today, the cross has become the universal image of Christian belief, an instrument of salvation which often appear in Christian art works and countless generations of artists have turned it into a thing of beauty to be carried in procession or worn as jewelry and other religions activities. Here we can see how this ugly event has turned into a glorious act, which shows the power of God over evil. For God is the source of victory, he has the power to turn ugly situation into a glorious one through the power of love.

 

Little wonder our Gospel passage today, talks about the relationship between God and the world. Telling us that God loves the world and the humanity living in it. He loves it so much that he gave his only Son, who died a shameful and terrible death on a cross for the seek of his love. God loves the whole world and his love is total and unconditional for every one of his creatures. For God reveals his love, his greatest glory when his Son was lifted up on the cross for there the victory of our salvation was achieved and at the cross, Jesus tells us everything and solves all our difficult problems.

 

Just like the Israelites in our first reading who having sinned against God and were punished on account of their sins,  as they asked Moses to intercede for them and God said to Moses, make a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live. This very symbol is a prefiguration of the Cross of Christ.

 

And St. Paul tells us in our second reading that though Jesus was in the form of God, but he humbled himself by accepting death on a Cross and God exalted him and gave him the name which is above all other names, so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus to the glory of God the Father.

 

Dear friends, as we reflect and celebrate the exaltation of the Holy Cross and it's saving power in our Christian life, let us deeply look at the Cross of Christ, what do we see? How do we feel about the Cross? What does the Cross of Christ represents in our lives? Do we feel the love of Jesus expressed for us on the Cross? Can we perceive the expensive price of our salvation?

 

So, we must know that the Cross of Christ is a symbol of God's love for sinful humanity. The cross represents the mystery of the unending love of God for humanity. We are called today to tell the world how deep God has loved us. We are to demonstrate this love to the world and let this love be felt by those who have lost hope in God especially at this time when humanity is struggling with the ugly situation of global political crisis.

 

Therefore, let us extend this love in any form, gestures or manner possible to everywhere that it is lacking. A kind word, a single phone call, a text message, an act of forgiveness, a single prayer, a little sacrifice, an act of patience and any form of generous act shown to anyone around you or as many people you can reach out today, can reflect this love of God for humanity through us, for we are the face of God’s love now, we are the channels of his Mercy and compassion.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we celebrate the feast of the exaltation of the Holy Cross, may we experience once again the power of your love for humanity, and give us the grace to reciprocate this love in the world by our way of life, using the gifts, the talents and resources you have given us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy  Feast day to all the Priest and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Lagos.

Homily For Wednesday Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 13th September, 2023. The Memorial of St. John Chrysostom

Readings: Col. 3:1-11 Ps.145, Luke 6:20-26

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

WOE TO THE RICH AND BLESSINGS FOR THE POOR, BUT WHO ARE THE POOR AND THE RICH?

 

Oftentimes when we reflect on the ups and downs of life, the struggles, the tears and the disappointments that people are passing through every day. 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 every day to make a 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 accomplished.

 

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. Now we can understand why the woe to the rich and blessings for the poor

 

Dear friends, our world is in need of more virtuous people 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. Little wonder  St. Paul in our first reading says: Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life: fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god; all this is the sort of behaviour that makes God angry.

 

Therefore,  let us learn from the life of John Chrysostom, whose memorial we celebrate today. For he is known for his deep love for God and heavenly things which he well demonstrated by his excellent preaching skills and was given the name Chrysostom which means “golden mouth” as he is usually called “John of the golden mouth,” because he utilized the gifts God gave him and used them for heavenly glories.

 

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

Homily For Tuesday Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 12th September, 2023

Readings: Col. 2:6-15; Ps. 145; Luke 6:12-19

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

LEARNING FROM THE PRAYER LIFE OF JESUS

 

In the scriptures, it is obvious that Jesus spent a lot of time in prayer especially in every important event in his mission. He does nothing without prayers. This is evident in our Gospel passage today where we heard how Jesus after deep prayers called from among his disciples twelve apostles, whom he called and chosen to continue his work of evangelization and mission towards the salvation of humanity, for he needed to have people who will be entrusted with this mission.

 

So, each one of us like the apostles are called by name into a deep personal and intimate relationship with Jesus in order to be sent to bear witness of him in the world. Prayers and absolute commitment are necessary quality for this mission. That is why Jesus did not choose people because of what they were. Rather, he chose them for what they could become under his direction through prayers.

 

But one of the greatest problem is that we don’t often surrender our plan and mission to God’s will through prayers. So the question that comes to mind are, Will I pray? Will I stop praying? Will I care? Will I risk? Will I let the Lord to lead me in prayer? These are questions of great demands which every true disciple must constantly reflect throughout his life, in order to be aware of the seriousness of the commitment required of everyone of us as disciples of Jesus. Little wonder St. Paul in our first reading today says that we must live our whole life according to that of Christ whom we have received, for we must be rooted in him.

 

Dear friends,  prayers is the key to evangelization and evangelization is the very nature and essence of the Church. And Jesus gives us the mandate and the commission to evangelize, that is, to announce the Good News to all the nations and to spread the Gospel to every creature. This commission is shared by all those who are baptized both priests and lay faithful. Everyone has a particular responsibility to share in the work of proclamation of the Gospel. Today, we should ask ourselves, how have we proclaimed the Gospel to the world? What efforts are we making to ensure that the mandate Christ entrusted to us is carried out effectively in our generation?

 

Therefore, prayer is very essential especially at this moment when the world is confused, because we have removed God out of our daily lives. Prayer is the key at this time when we have placed our hope in the activities of the human person who seems to have taken the place of God. Prayer is the key at this time when our governments, scientists, doctors, lawyers, professors and even pastors assumed the place of God, which of course have brought about the ugly situation we are facing in our societies today.

 

Hence, we are reminded once again about our very mission which is rooted in prayers, for it is time to take this mandate very seriously, because it is our responsibility to fulfil our promises to God and ensure that the Christian faith is preached and sustained in the world and by so doing save humanity once again from sin, death and destruction.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God,  without prayers in our lives we are lost in this world, for a lot of us are confused because we have cut ourselves off from You our cornerstone, as we come back to you once again in prayers, may we learn from the prayer life of Jesus and his teaching and by so doing draw humanity back to You once again. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a favourable day.