Homily For Monday Second Week of Easter Year B, 8th April, 2024.The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Readings: Is. 7:10-14.8:10; Ps. 40; Heb.10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

REJOICE MOST HIGHLY FAVOURED ONE! THE LORD IS WITH YOU 

Today in a special way, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, an event that marks exactly nine months before the birth of Jesus at Christmas, recalling the very moment when our Lord and Saviour was conceived in the womb of Mary, as she responded to the revelation of the Good News of God through the Archangel Gabriel saying: I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word. With this response the Word became flesh and dwells among us through a humble Virgin, thereby revealing the arrival of the long-awaited Saviour into the world as we have it in our Gospel passage today.

In our first reading, we heard how King Ahaz also received revelation from God through prophet Isaiah, of the coming of God’s salvation to his people. But Ahaz refused to accept the sign, out of false humility, saying that he would not put God to the test even when the prophet had specifically said that God would give him a sign. This shows a lack of faith and disobedience from King Ahaz which is quite opposite to that of Mary who humbly accepted God’s will. 

When compared the response of Mary to that of Ahaz, who further led the people of Judah into sin, as he did not follow or obey God’s laws. We will see that his lack of faith is indeed opposite to Mary’s total submission to God, his pride and false humility are opposite of Mary’s total humility and devotion to God.  Hence, Mary became a role model for all of us, as her obedience and willingness to accept her role as the Mother of our Lord and Saviour is something that all of us as Christians should also emulate in our own lives.

Dear friends, today our society is filled with a lot of uncertainty, sorrow and grief, challenges and trials, obstacles, difficulties and suffering all over the world. But we are consoled in today’s Solemnity of the Annunciation of our Lord and Saviour with the words of the angle, telling us to rejoice most highly favoured for the Lord has special plans for us if only we can say like Mary: “Let it be done to me according to your will”. 

Thus, we are called to draw strength, faith and courage from Mary in her total submission to God’s will, knowing that despite all the darkness, sorrow and uncertainties in our world, God will not abandon his people. His promise of salvation is a reality that we will surely experience. Therefore, let us entrust ourselves in humility to God just as Mary had done. Let us ask for his mercy and forgiveness as we also forgive one another. It is not time to judge people or lose faith. Rather, it is time to pray for each other as we grow stronger in faith and our love and devotion to God. knowing that he is closer to us in these turbulent times for he does not fail in his promises.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, the occasion of the annunciation reminds us of your promises and plans to redeem humanity, as we listen to your words today, may we respond positively to your requests and so be filled with the joy of your presence, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For the Second Sunday of Easter, the Divine Mercy Sunday Year B, 7th April 2024

Readings: Acts.4:32-35; Ps.118; 1John 5:1-7; John 20:19-31

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

DO YOU STILL BELIEVE IN THE RISEN LORD AND HIS MERCY?

 

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, which was instituted by Pope St. John Paul II in the Jubilee Year of 2000. This event is to be celebrated every second Sunday of Easter to remind us that the joyful celebration of the Easter season is also a time for us to appreciate once again that our Lord Jesus passed through the worst of sufferings and humiliations in his Passion, Death and Resurrection, and so win eternal life for humanity.

 

Thus, the event we celebrate today is meant for us to focus our attention once again on the Lord, to ask Jesus for his mercy on us and the whole world especially through his glorious and wondrous passion, which stands as a perfect offering for the redemption of our sins. Hence, we need to have faith in the Lord and believe that through him there is hope for our salvation. This truly explains the words of Jesus to his disciples when he said: “Blessed are those who believe”.  This statement could be a central theme in our Gospel passage today.

 

Here, Jesus said to Thomas: “ Do not doubt but believe… for blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”  This is because Thomas was lacking in faith and so was doubtful of the Lord’s resurrection but only to be humbled when the Lord himself appeared right before him. Thomas believed and said to the Lord, ‘My Lord and My God’. The Gospel ended by saying that these are written so that you may believe in Jesus and that you may have life in his name.

 

This also is repeated in our second reading today, where we heard that whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten by God; and whoever loves the Father that begot him loves the child whom he begets. For anyone who has been begotten by God has already overcome the world; telling us that through our faith we have victory over the world. So, the purpose of this Gospel is for us, the readers to believe and enjoy the promised blessing. Today Millions of Christians have been strengthened in their faith by reading this Gospel, and millions of others have been brought to faith through it.

 

Dear friends, oftentimes we recite the apostle's creed, do we really believe what we say? Have we really contemplated what we say in the creed? Do we really mean what we professed? I know that we believe in what we profess in the creed. But sometimes in our lives, we behave like Thomas Thomas representing all of us who in one way or the other have been doubtful of the presence of God in our lives. No doubt that there are many of us with different experiences at different levels of faith and devotion. But at some point, we may have grown weak in our commitment to the Lord and begin to doubt his presence with us, based on our own experiences, or when we are distracted and tempted by many ugly desires for worldly things that will turn us away from the Lord.

 

More so, we have often placed God aside and forgotten about him, by prioritizing more on other things in our lives. We have often treated him or things related to him as something not significant. There are times when we doubt the presence of God in our families, societies and even the Church. There are times when we have doubted the presence of God in the Eucharist, the sacraments and even in the activities of his ministers. Oftentimes, we are doubtful of the mercy of God, his love for us, and his power to save, heal and protect us, as we go seeking help from other “sources” which will only worsen our situation.

 

Brethren, to be a believer in our world today can be really difficult, so we need to support each other. We need to strengthen our community life, especially during this difficult moment in our country and the world at large. The first Christians supported one another by praying, worshipping and sharing their resources and the word of God together, as we have it in our first reading. For the whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common.

 

Therefore, let us unite together as believers, and bear authentic witness to our faith. As we struggle in this dark moment in our lives when God seems far away from the world, let us ask him to help us to remove all forms of doubt, especially at this time when the Gospel is under all kinds of threats by faithless and ignorant people. Let us embrace His Divine mercy in our lives, our families, societies and the world at large. Remember, the Lord is indeed merciful he forgives us freely and generously but do not take his mercy for granted by dwelling perpetually in sin.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, today we are encouraged to believe without seeing, this can really be very difficult in a world of empiricism, help us especially this trial moment in our world, never doubt whatever you have revealed through your son, may we rather be steadfast in faith, joyful in hope and untiring in loving you and our neighbours, as we hope to experience your Divine Mercy once again in our lives, our family and the world at large. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Divine Mercy Sunday to you and your household.

Homily For Saturday in Octave of Easter, 6th April, 2024

Readings: Acts.14:13-21; Ps.118; Mark 16:9-15

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

OUR MISSION IS TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST TO THE WHOLE WORLD

 

After the resurrection of Jesus, he appeared to his disciples on different occasions. Today in our Gospel passage, he appeared to the eleven apostles and commissioned them to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation. This is what Peter and John exercised in our first reading today. Here the rulers, elders and scribes were astonished at the great witness shown by Peter and John, so, they tried to prevent them and other disciples from spreading any further the Good News about the risen Lord, by attempting to suppress them through fear and pressure.

 

However, the disciples were not ready to give in to fear or pressure, for they were encouraged and strengthened by the Lord through the Holy Spirit as they were no longer the same people who hid because of the fear of the authorities. Instead, they openly defiled the orders from the Sanhedrin and continued to carry out the missions which God had entrusted to them. Hence, the mandate of this mission has been repeated in our liturgy throughout this octave of Easter, in order to remind us of our mission as Christians. It also allows us to review our Easter experience, so as to examine ourselves about the impact the week has made on us.

 

Dear friends, to what extent have we been able to bear witness to the world about the risen Lord? As disciples of Christ, we are mandated to share the Good News of salvation provided by Christ Jesus to all creation. We are to do so not just in silence, but in words and actions which is seen in our ways of life.

So, friends, what can we do to ensure that the Gospel reach out to all creation? How best can we spread this Good News, especially in this time of difficulty when the world is looking for answers to the fundamental reality of human existence? The answer to this fundamental question is rooted in the Gospel of Christ and the best way to preach the Gospel today is witnessing by our way of life. Today many voices are preaching the Good News, but only a few are bearing authentic witness to the Gospel. Let us be that authentic voice.

 

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 weekend.

Homily For Friday in Octave of Easter, 5th April, 2024

Readings: Acts.4:1-12; Ps.117; John:21:1-14

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

LIFE IS EMPTY WITHOUT THE LORD AS THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR LIVES

For any system or structure to remain firm and sustainable, such structure must be well situated on a solid foundation known as the cornerstone. This is also applicable to most things we do in life. Today in our Gospel passage, the disciples of Jesus led by Peter had left Jerusalem and gone all the way back to their native homes to resume their former ways of life as fishermen, because they have failed to understand that Jesus is the cornerstone of their lives. So they went fishing all night. After a whole night’s fishing, they caught absolutely nothing, tired and disappointed. 

This night of futile fishing left them with empty nets and hopelessness. They have forgotten that without Jesus the cornerstone, they can do nothing. It was at this point that suddenly, a stranger on the shore invited them for breakfast. Here, Jesus takes the initiative and visits them as he engages them in a dialogue saying: “Have you caught anything?” They reluctantly admit they have got nothing. Then, he said to them drop your nets on the right side of the boat and you will find something. They did so and were overwhelmed by the catch they had made. There were so many fish that they simply could not be taken into the boat. Thus, they recognize that it was Jesus the cornerstone of their lives and mission. 

Dear friends, like the disciples, we too must come to recognize Jesus as the cornerstone of our lives, who is there for us even in the most mundane moments of our daily lives. For Peter tells us in our first reading, that Jesus is that stone which the builders rejected, but today is the cornerstone by which we are saved. Today, all over the world, people are struggling with different ugly situations. In fact, the world is in a state of confusion, people are suffering, their means of livelihood have been deprived, no food, no electricity no good water, crisis everywhere, poverty is on the increase, house rent is due and no one to run to, some family only look up to God for daily survival.

 

However,  in the midst of this ugly situation, let us know that we are not left alone in our fears and sorrows, for Jesus, the cornerstone of our lives is nearer to us now than before. We only need to have faith in him and acknowledge him as the cornerstone of our lives and families especially in this difficult moment. Let us be strong, steadfast, courageous and hopeful, knowing that the Joy of the risen Lord is our strength.

LET US PRAY: Lord Jesus, without you we will toil in vain, never cease to be the cornerstone of our lives, our families and the world at large. May the most vulnerable in our midst experience your grace, your help, your healing, favour and interventions as we look up to you as our cornerstone. For you live and reign forever and ever. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Thursday in Octave of Easter, 4th April, 2024

Readings: Acts.3:11-23; Ps.8; Luke24:35-48

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

AN ENCOUNTER THAT LEADS TO AUTHENTIC WITNESSING

 

A  witness must be someone who has seen and experienced something and could testify to the facts of what he or she has seen. Today in a special way Jesus appeared to his disciples wishing them peace and commissioning them to bear witness to his resurrection. He commissioned his disciples with these words “You are witnesses to this”.

 

The disciples had witnessed Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection and here comes the mission to witness this to the whole world and to proclaim reconciliation with God through Jesus. We too receive this commission of being his witnesses, through our baptism we are incorporated into the Church to authentically bear witness to the faith we profess.

 

Dear friends, it is our task to carry on this mission of Christ throughout the whole world. If we do not, then, the world will not hear Christ’s message of reconciliation, forgiveness and victory over sin and death, thereby, making the world remain ignorant of what God has done for us and the consequences of this ignorance is the root of the problems in our world today.

 

However, we can not bear effective witness unless we have a personal experience of the risen Lord. It is this personal experience that enables Peter to bear effective witness of Christ before the people as we read in our first reading today (Acts 3:11-26), we too can do the same when we experience the risen Lord personally in our lives.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord Jesus, let us once again experience you personally in our lives and give us the grace to bear authentic witness of your presence in the world, especially at this moment when the world is in a state of confusion not knowing what to do. Manifest your victorious power afresh in our lives, families, societies and the world at large. You who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Homily For Wednesday in Octave of Easter, 3rd April, 2024

Readings: Acts.3:1-10; Ps. 104; Luke24:13-35

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

AND OUR HEARTS WERE BURNING AS HE SPOKE TO US

 

Oftentimes, we hardly understand fully the meaning of the faith we profess in Christ. Though we still journey with Christ and his Church without a full understanding of the mystery we celebrate. Sometimes we are confused, sometimes we doubt, and sometimes we feel like going back to our ugly and sinful ways of life. This type of disposition is the condition of the two disciples of Jesus in our Gospel passage today, where we heard the story about the two disciples who were on their way to Emmaus.

 

The story of these two disciples on the road to Emmaus is one of the most interesting stories in the Gospel that explains the structure of our liturgical celebration in a more practical way.  In this story, they were on a journey when the risen Lord joined them on the way and explained the scriptures to them. These two disciples had no idea who Jesus was when he approached them. They are aware, however, of the recent events in Jerusalem but cannot comprehend them. But the Lord after explaining the scriptures, revealed his identity to them at the breaking of bread, when he took a loaf of bread and gave thanks, he broke it and gave it to them just like he did at the Last Supper.

 

Dear friends, in this same way, the risen Lord journeys with us in our liturgical worship, beginning with the penitential rite where we reflect on the situation in our life and recall how sinful and unworthy we are before God. Then we recalled the events of our faith as the Lord Jesus takes us through the Scriptures and the celebration of the Eucharist. Here the faith of the faithful is sustained. It is the place where Jesus continues to reveal himself. Where the Christian faith is born and nurtured, where what Jesus did for us through his suffering, death and resurrection is remembered in thanksgiving. This is the faith Peter and John expressed in our first reading today when they restored the crippled in the name of Jesus.

 

But the question we need to ask ourselves is, is our hearts burning as we listen to the Lord speaking to us in the Liturgy? What is our disposition towards the faith we have found in Christ? Have we personally encountered or recognized the presence of God in our lives, especially at Eucharistic celebrations? Today the Lord Jesus wishes to journey with us in our struggles. He wishes to instruct us more about the faith we found in him. He wishes to reveal himself once again for to us if we are going to be disposed enough to listen to him as he speaks to us especially through the scriptures and in the Eucharist.

 

LET US PRAY: Loving Jesus, as we journey together on the road of faith with you, especially in the midst of the ugly situation in our lives, family and the world, help us to always recognize you personally in different events we encounter on the way, especially at the breaking of the Eucharistic bread. You who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. Peace be with you.

The Homily For Octave of Easter Tuesday, 2nd April, 2024

Readings: Acts.2:36-41; Ps. 32; John 20: 11-18

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

SEARCH FOR THE LORD, WAIT FOR HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND YOU WILL EXPERIENCE HIM PERSONALLY LIKE MARY

 

One of the most precious gifts God can offer to anyone is the privilege of having a personal experience and encounter with him, especially in this season which is a moment of encounter. Little wonder our reading this season gives us an account of how different people encountered the Lord Jesus. Today, our Gospel passage presents to us the story of a woman who seeks the Lord with all affection and tears. Mary Magdalene came back and remained by the tomb where Jesus was laid and was weeping. Her heart was in earnest to find Jesus. The angels asked her: why are you weeping? she was just busy trying to find the corpse of Jesus. But when she turned around and saw Jesus, her heart was filled with joy and peace.

 

This passage can be like to our relationship with Christ in the blessed sacrament. After the celebration of the holy Mass with a great crowd of people. Only a few will stay back to adore the Lord at the Blessed Sacrament. Among those few only one or two comes regularly to adore the Lord just like Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to send time with the body of Christ. imagine you are that one person who comes regularly to adore the Lord and one of the week you came first and second days and the Blessed Sacrament is there as usual but on the third day you came and the Monstrance was there in its usual way with the candles but the Eucharist is not in the Monstrance. What will you do?  What will be your reaction? This is the situation Mary Magdalene found herself that gave room for her personal encounter of the risen Lord.

 

So, we are likely to seek and find the Lord, when we seek him with all affection and tears. But often the clouds and darkness of our sins blind us from recognizing the Lord who is always very close to us. The truth is that our disposition this season matters a lot. If we have that true disposition and desire to encounter Jesus we will surely experience him in our lives. It’s just a few days after Easter, how close have we personally embraced the Lord? What difference has his presence made in our lives?

 

 Dear friends, search for the Lord, wait for him with all your heart and you will experience him like Mary. For the Lord Jesus is at the door knocking and waiting for us to open the door of our hearts so that we will experience him personally. For he, the good shepherd knows his sheep and he said his sheep would know him when he calls their names. Just like Mary Magdalene recognized Jesus when he called her name. But are we disposed enough to hear him when he speaks to us? In different ways and forms, Jesus speaks to us. The common way of making himself known to his people is by his words; his words appeal to our souls, speaking to us in a particular way that is unique to us. Therefore let us be well disposed to hear the Lord Jesus speaking to us in our heart and there we experience and encounter him personally.

 

 LET US PRAY: Lord God, our souls desire to encounter your Son our Lord Jesus personally once again, give us the grace and strength to always be ready to turn around, to look again, that we may see, experience, feel and recognize your presence in our lives personally and collectively. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.