Homily For Monday Second Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 15th January, 2024

Readings: 1Sam.15:16-23; Ps. 50; Mark 2:18-22

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

PUTTING OUR NEW LIFE OF GRACE INTO THE FRESH SKIN OF RESTORATION

 

Reflecting one of my favourite communion hymn titled New Life, especially its chorus that says:

New Life! New Life, You came to bring us new life,

New life, New life, we find such Joy in your abundant Life.

 

This hymn calls our attention to the gift of New Life which Jesus is offering to humanity. A gift that differentiates his disciples from other people. This is evident in our Gospel passage today, where we read about the observation made by the disciples of John the Baptist concerning the relationship between Jesus and his disciples and their new ways of doing things. So they came to Jesus and asked him questions regarding their manner of fasting and feasting. Jesus used this opportunity to educate them about the New Life of grace which he has come to offer humanity.

 

He said to them: Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast. For no one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth onto an old cloak, because the patch pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; if they do, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are lost. No; they put new wine into fresh skins and both are preserved.

 

Here Jesus gave two responses to the question. First, people do not fast when they are in the company of the bridegroom which is a time for celebration. For Jesus is the groom and as long as he is around, it would be inappropriate for his disciples to fast. However, a time will come when the groom will no longer be with them, then they will surely fast, telling us that fasting should be done at the right time for the right reasons. Moreover, being in a relationship with Jesus is more important, because, what the bridegroom is to the bride, that's what Jesus is to the souls of all who believe in him.

 

Then, in the second response, Jesus shows that he is bringing something totally new which should not be mixed with the old way of life. He emphasized the importance of pouring new wine into fresh wineskins and the need to avoid using a new cloak to patch an old one. Here the fresh wineskins refers to a new heart that has put off the old cloak of sin and looks forward to the new wine of grace through the process of conversion.

 

So, as his bride, he loves us with a deep and everlasting love. He pays all our debts to God; he supplies all our daily needs; he sympathizes with us in all our troubles; he bears with all our infirmities, and does not reject us because of our weaknesses. He regards us as part of himself:  We share in the glory that he has received from his Father. These are the privileges of all true Christians who are called to the heavenly kingdom.

 

So, Jesus is teaching us that the Kingdom of Heaven is not a matter of ritual or ceremonious fasting or feasting. But is about building a personal relationship with God who loves us personally and unconditionally. Little wonder, we heard Samuel telling Saul in our first reading that, in our relationship with God obedience is better than sacrifice.

 

Dear friends, what is that old garment in our lives that we are patching with the new? What is that old wine of habitual sin that we are pouring into the new wineskins of our redeemed and purified souls? today we are called to a fresh response towards embracing the New Life of grace which Jesus is offering us. we are called to put our New Life of grace into the fresh skin of restoration. As we think about these, let us struggle to avoid our old sinful ways of life and fully embrace the new righteous way of life that Jesus is offering us.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, You are the source of our new life, for in your light we see light. Grant us the grace of true and total conversion so as to find such great Joy in your abundant Life of grace and mercy, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed and favourable week.

Homily For Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 14th January 2024

Readings: 1 Sam 3:3-10.19, Ps. 40, 1Cor. 6:13-15.17-20, John 1:35-42

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 A CALL TO ENCOUNTER AND FOLLOW JESUS THE LAMB OF GOD

Today is the second Sunday in Ordinary Time of the Liturgical year B, which began immediately after we celebrated the Baptism of the Lord on Monday. The beauty of this season lies in the fact that it invites us to live our ordinary life as a journey of holiness, faith, and friendship with Jesus in order to continually discover our vocation and mission which is rooted in Christ’s own mission. Hence, our readings today present to us a call to encounter and follow the Lord, which points out the mission of the Church in proclaiming the word of God and our part in this mission.

Thus, we heard in our first reading how God called Samuel and he was able to respond through the guidance of Eli. His call was to be a prophet, for he was to play a very important role in the history of the chosen people of God. In this mission, God initiates the call, but the response is to be made by us freely without cohesion. And in our Gospel passage, we heard how God has called us through John the Baptist, to follow Christ, the Lamb of God and Saviour of the world. This is clear when John the Baptist in our Gospel, saw Jesus passing by and declared: this is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Here he is pointing out the essence of Jesus’ mission, telling us about the great Servant of God, whose mission was to bring sinners back to God. Considering this great task of Jesus, John introduced him as the Lamb of God and not the Lion of God and 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 of Jesus and the approach by which he 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 do the same in our relationship with one another. 

Also, 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.

So, like these two disciples of John the Baptist, we are called to reflect on our personal experience with God. How have we experienced God, when was your spiritual turning point, have you really experienced God personally? Can we share our personal convictions about God with others knowing that it is our mission to do so?

 

Thus, how to effectively carry out this vocation and mission is what St. Paul spoke about in our second reading as he addressed the Church and the faithful in Corinth and indeed to all of us Christians, who have been called to follow Christ and have been sanctified and blessed to be God’s chosen people, who are reunited and brought together from the world to bear the fruit of love and holiness of life. 

Thus, he reminded us that we are not our own property anymore; we have been bought and paid for. That is why we should use our bodies for the glory of God. So, our body is not meant for fornication: it is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. For God who raised the Lord from the dead, will by his power raise us up too. Hence, we must keep away from fornication. Because all the other sins are committed outside the body; but to fornicate is to sin against our own body. And our body, he said, is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in us to help us in our vocation and mission.

Dear friends, today there are so many things that are distracting us from our mission and vocation and are leading us into sin and we are so much attached to them because the world has sexualized almost everything around us. The television, the internet, the music, movies, cartoons, even our social and religious activities are corrupted by this sexualization motives which drive and tempt us to commit the sins of adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, and masturbation.

Because we have lost the control of our responsibility towards our sexuality, which of course is the cause of the increase in rape, incest, divorce, open marriage, and all forms of gander transformation going on in our society today. The main point here is for us not to indulge in sins that will ruin our souls.

Therefore, as the year unfolds, we are all challenged to live a holy life as the Lord has taught us. And as we carry out our mission, we are called to follow the way of the Lamb. 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 using intimidation or force, nor should we use any forms of tricks or false persuasions. Rather, we should be more selfless and forgiving in our interactions with one another, putting aside our pride, ego, and selfish desires, knowing that the grace of God is always sufficient for us.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we struggle every day to do your will and respond positively in the mission and vocation entrusted to us, give us the grace to be responsible with our sexuality, especially in this time when the world has lost the true meaning and value of human sexuality, and as a result, so many lives and families are being destroyed. Help us, we pray to find joy, courage, and solace in your saving grace as you guide us through the year. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed Sunday celebration.

Homily For Saturday First Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 13th January, 2024

Readings: 1 Sam. 9:1-4.17-19.10:1; Ps. 21; Mark 2:13-17

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

THE GRACE OF GOD CAN CHANGE THE GREATEST SINNER INTO A SAINT

 

The mission of Jesus is often misunderstood by people who feel that they should be the one to dictate to God what to do. But Jesus will always surprise them and use them to set a good example for the rest of us. This is evident in our Gospel passage today, which presents to us the call of Levi who was a tax collector, a presumably public sinner. As Jesus passed by, he said to Levi, “Follow Me.” This is a present tense command which is a call for Levi to leave his old way of life behind and to begin a new life of following him.

 

But why would Jesus have any interest for a man like this? There is only one word that can answer this question, and that is grace. Despite his ugly occupation; his ugly lifestyle; his failures; and his sins; Jesus loved Levi and he called him to a new life. The fact remains that, Jesus never condemned anyone nor does he judge people by their past behaviour. He is only interested in what they can be now and in the future. There and then, Levi dropped everything and followed Jesus just the same way Peter and Andrew, James and John had also done.

 

Later, when Jesus was dining at Levi’s house, several known sinners and tax collectors were at the table with him and his disciples. This was a real scandal for the scribes and Pharisees. For them, if Jesus was a Rabbi he would have had nothing to do with such people. But Jesus replied: It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. I did not come to call the virtuous but sinners.

 

With this statement, we are meant to know that Jesus' whole mission is the salvation of souls and redemption of people to wholeness. And the best way to achieve this is by having direct contact with them. But we are often not present where people are most in need of hearing God’s message. Sometimes, we tend to side with the Pharisees and feel we should keep away from sinful and ‘immoral’ people.

 

Dear friends, we need to learn that the Gospel message can most effectively be communicated to those who have lost touch with God and the meaning of life by reaching out to them. We should not be afraid to reach out to people, especially those who have been captured by the things of this sinful world. 

For we heard in our first reading today, how Samuel encountered Saul and before anointing him said: Go up ahead of me to the high place. You are to eat with me today. In the morning I shall take leave of you and tell you all that is in your heart. It was after this encounter that Samuel anointed Saul, for the word of God is something alive and active: it can slip through the place where the soul is divided from the spirit and can judge the secret emotions and thoughts of every one of us.

 

Hence, Jesus calling Levi to follow him shows that with God there is great mercy to pardon the greatest sinners. There is grace to change the greatest sinners and make them holy.  This is a great sign of hope for anyone who thinks that God has abandoned him or her because of sin or past ugly ways of life. God is not interested in our past ugly and sinful ways of life. Rather he is interested in what he can make out of us now and in the future.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, your love and compassion for humanity is so great, even in our sinful and ugly ways of life, you never abandoned us. So Lord, when sin separates us from you, may your grace and providence bring us back. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful weekend.

Homily For Friday First Week in Ordinary Time Year B; 12th January, 2024

Readings: 1 Sam.8 4-7.10-22; Ps. 89; Mark 2:1-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

THE LORD HAS THE POWER AND AUTHORITY TO RESTORE HUMANITY PARALYZED BY SIN

 

The sin and evil going on in the world are putting our faith to the test and most people are giving in to this scheme because they lack the strong will to withstand the suffering, sickness and problems that befall us as a result of this evil. People are running up and down seeking solutions. while the evil ones are taking advantage of the ugly situation to destroy the faith of the people. In fact, one may begin to wonder if there is still hope for the restoration of humanity from this ugly situation. But the fact remains that God is able and willing to heal and restore humanity once again.

 

This is evident in our Gospel passage today when some people brought to him a paralytic stretched out on a bed. And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven.’ But some scribes doubted his authority to forgive sins, and Jesus knowing what was in their minds said: ‘Why do you have such wicked thoughts in your hearts? Now, which of these is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ he said to the paralytic, ‘get up, and pick up your bed and go off home.’ And the man got up and went home.

 

Here we see the power and authority of Jesus towards the restoration of the paralytic man carried by his friends. A gesture that signifies the restoration of humanity paralyzed by sins and evil. So Jesus will always begin by forgiving our sins, for sin seems to be the root of the sickness. But sin may be pardoned, yet the sickness not be removed; the sickness may be removed, yet the sin not pardoned. But for Jesus, healing is holistic for those who have faith in God.

 

However, this is what the scribes and the Pharisees failed to understand as they doubted and opposed the power and authority of Jesus just like the Israelites in our first reading today, who rejected Samuel and the Kingship authority of God while requesting for human King. And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for it is not you that they have rejected; they have rejected me from ruling over them.’

 

Dear friends, have we rejected the authority and kingship of God in our lives? Don’t you think that the problem in our world today is a result of our rejection of God and his kingship in our dealings? So, today we are called to be submissive to the Kingly authority of God and not be like the Israelites and the scribes who were enslaved by their pride and desire to maintain their prestige in society. They doubted the power and authority of the Lord and rejected the message of truth. Jesus rebuked them, showing us that truly he has power and authority not just to heal and forgive us but to restore us and all humanity back to our formal glory.

 

Therefore, we are also called to imitate the great faith and love of the friends of the paralytic, the love and faith that radiate from the innermost being of those who exercise it. Let us like them, learn to love and help one another. Because the absence of love is the cause of all the problems in our world today. Most families exist only by grace because of the absence of love. How I wish we could invest our time and resources in ensuring love and goodwill in our dealings with one another, believe me, the world will be a temporary home for everyone.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we are paralyzed by the sins and evil we are committing against you and the world you created out of pride, greed and selfishness. As we submit to your kingship and authority in faith, forgive us our sins, and heal and restore us once again. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.

Homily For Thursday The First Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 11th January, 2024

Readings: 1 Sam. 4:1-11;  Ps. 44;  Mark 1:40-45

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

JESUS IN SOLIDARITY WITH HUMAN SUFFERINGS

 

There is no doubt that the compassionate love of Jesus in solidarity with human sufferings is evident in the scriptures and even in our daily lives.  Little wonder, we have great events in the scriptures that illustrate the compassionate concern of Jesus in the struggles of humanity and how he wishes to set us free from the shackles of our troubles.

 

This is evident in the occasion of our Gospel passage today, where a leper, came up and bowed low in front of Jesus and said to him, if you will, you can make me clean. Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said, ‘Of course I will! Be clean!’ And immediately his leprosy was cured at once.

 

Here, the touching of Jesus is very significant since no ordinary person would dare to touch a leper. We can think of the inner healing that must have resulted from the touch of Jesus, that moment of physical contact that the leper had not experienced for a long time due to rejection. Touch is something we all need, but is so often lacking in our relationship with God and one another, and it is even becoming worse with the ugly situation in our society today. But this cannot stop Jesus from reaching out to his children who call on him for healing and restoration.

 

Thus, the leper was despised, feared, shunned and rejected in society, but when he approached Jesus in humility, he became the object of divine attention. We too just like the leper, need healing, including the healing that comes from the touch of Jesus, all we need is to approach Jesus in humility and we will become a person of divine attention. Our sinful actions can make us feel rejected and abandoned, but the touch of Jesus will make us whole and objects of Divine attention.

 

More so, the story of this leper is a good example of how sinners can and should appeal to Jesus for cleansing, especially from their sins. We should come in faith knowing that God is always willing to cleanse every sinner who comes to Him. So, let us sincerely turn to God once again with all of our hearts and with all of our strength, just like the leper who came to Jesus with faith, knowing that he could heal him and make him better.

 

This is what all of us must have as well, a strong and genuine faith in God. But we, should not be like the Israelites in our first reading today, who only remembered God when they needed him. For they have made God a tool to be used only when they need him. That is why when they were defeated in war, the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, came with the ark. And when the ark of the Lord arrived in the camp, all Israel gave a great shout so that the earth resounded. However, they were defeated despite the presence of the Ark of the Lord.

 

Dear friends, we should never take the gift of God’s presence in our lives for granted. We must learn to utilize any encounter we have with the Lord, for it may be our great opportunity to be restored and what is needed is to put our faith in action by saying Lord if you will you can restore me.

 

So, friends, I don’t know what type of leprocious problems you are going through. Are you weighed down by sin or sickness? Are you feeling helpless and rejected? Or do we know people who are helpless and need some help? Do we feel the need for Jesus’s help in some part of our life? Let us pause for a moment and imagine Jesus looking at us. How does he see us? What are you saying to us?

 

Brethren, Jesus in solidarity with human sufferings, wishes to set us free from sickness, troubles, challenges and manipulations from the evil ones. He desires to be with us as we struggle every day to overcome the challenges in our lives, in our families, society and the world at large. Therefore, we should not be afraid to approach Jesus for healing and restoration, all we need is an active faith like the leper in our Gospel passage today.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, humanity is in deep darkness caused by different forms of leprosies and only you can heal and restore us. For you know our innermost being and the challenges we are facing today, come to our aid we pray and cleanse us from all our physical, emotional, economic and spiritual leprosies, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Wednesday of The First Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 10th January, 2024

Readings: 1Sam. 3:1-10.19-20; Ps. 40; Mark 1:29-39

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

JESUS TOOK HER BY THE HAND, THE FEVER LEFT HER AND SHE BEGAN TO SERVE

 

As Jesus continued to carry out his mission of preaching he also showed compassion and care for those who were passing through difficulties. This shows the love and mercy of God for humanity. Little wonder in our Gospel passage today, when Jesus returned from preaching in the synagogue he entered Simon Peter's house, behold Peter's mother-in-law was sick with fever.

 

This is not a minor sickness in the ancient world. A fever was not only debilitating for a short while but was often a symptom of a condition that would lead to death. So, Jesus simply raised her up and the fever left her, she immediately began to serve them, something she was unable to do because of her illness.  Thus, she was able to render her service to the first Christian communities.

 

She was healed and restored with new strength so that she may again rise and take up her proper place in the community of God’s people. This clearly shows how and why Jesus came down upon us and by taking up our human nature made it possible for him to identify himself with the struggles of humanity as he embraced us with his love, compassion and care. For he came to heal us from our sins and from all the afflictions we encounter.

 

Dear friends, God cares for our well-being, and his always ready to help us in our struggles so that we can be well-disposed to serve him. Hence, whenever we are sick both physically or spiritually and are cured of this sickness, it is tempting to sit back and accept people’s good wishes and congratulations. These should not be our attitudes, we should rather learn from Peter’s mother-in-law that healing is not just to make us well but to enable us to become active again in rendering serving to God and his community.

 

Therefore, let us learn to trust in the Lord’s power and authority to help us in our struggles, let us learn from the experience of Samuel in our first reading today who was guided by Eli to discern the call of the Lord. Let us learn to say here I am Lord since you called me, for the Lord is always ready and willing to heal and help us in our struggles.

 

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, we are sick in need of your healing and compassion. As we struggle every day to serve you and humanity, heal all our illnesses and give us the grace to get up and become more active again in order to render more quality services to you and our communities. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a favourable day.

Homily For Tuesday of The First Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 9th January 2024

Readings: 1Sam.1:9-20; Ps. 1Sam 2:4-7; Mark 1:21-28

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

 THE AUTHORITY OF THE LORD JESUS OVER DEMONIC FORCES

 

Oftentimes, when people are to do something serious it is always the case that they will need to back up there activities and messages with authority. And when this is lacking, people may not take their activities and message seriously. Thus, in our Gospel passage today we heard people referring to the authority by which Jesus speaks and carries out his mission. For he spoke and acted with God-given authority.

 

This is even more evident in the manner in which he was able to rebuke the man possessed by an unclean spirit who when he saw Jesus shouted, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!

 

These spirits are malicious beings that might be demons or fallen angels who have followed Satan to rebel against God. They might be as mighty and powerful as Satan, but in the end, none of them were able to rise against God. For God alone is the source of all power and authority.

 

So Jesus being the Son of God wants to show us that he has been given all the power and authority over the evil ones. And through him, we have been given all authority and power over those spirits. The unclean spirit recognized Jesus as the power of God. His power over demons is a direct defeat of the evil one while the restoration of the possessed man signifies the inauguration of God's kingdom in the world.

 

Dear friends, it is obvious to everyone that Jesus had authority, his authority does not come from his position in life or from worldly power. Rather, his authority comes from his relationship with God his Father. He listened to his voice and spoke his words.

 

Therefore, if we want to speak with authority, we must learn to spend time with God, listening to his voice and doing his will. And this is what we see in the life of Hannah in our first reading today, who recognized the power and authority of God to answer her prayers and heal her barrenness. So she went to the temple and poured out her heart to God and she conceived and gave birth to a son, and called him Samuel ‘since’ she said ‘I asked the Lord for him.

 

Hence, today we are called to recognize that the presence of Jesus in the world brings about victory over all our troubles. And Jesus has given us the gift of his presence in the person of the Holy Spirit, which God has bestowed on us in our baptism. In this gift resides the power and authority to evangelize the world and to confront evil and overcome it.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, in a world full of evil and intimidation, we need your authority once again to speak and stand for what is right and just. As we struggle with our daily tasks, may we be courageous, knowing that the same Jesus who delivered the possessed man can heal our fears, anxieties and worries for his presence sets us free from evil manipulations, he who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. Remember, the power to overcome resides in you. Do have a blessed day.