Category Archives: Sunday Homily

A warning against Hypocrisy  Malachi 1:14-2:2, 8-10; Psalm 130; 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9, 13; Matthew 23:1-12 Today’s gospel, taken from Matthew 23:1–12, exposes the activities of the scribes and the Pharisees. This session of the gospel is divided into three parts. The first part exposes the oppressive burdens they lay on others (1-4), the second part […]

Fr. Thomas Oyode  “Love of Neighbour: A Perfection of Christian Piety” The confrontation of Jesus by Jewish authorities (Sadducees, Herodians, Pharisees) continues. In today’s gospel (Matthew 22:34-40), it is a lawyer from the group of the Pharisees who comes with a specifically religious question to trap Jesus. As a matter of fact, the Pharisees have […]

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet Isaiah 25:6-10; Psalm 23; Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20; Matthew 22:1-14 The Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22:1–14) is the subject of today’s gospel. This parable bears some similarities to the parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15–24), but it differs in some significant respects, including the occasion. Today’s gospel […]

FRUITFUL TENANTS Isaiah 5:1–7; Ps. 80; Phil. 4:6–9; Matthew 21:33–43 1. Today’s gospel reading presents us with the relationship between landlords and tenants. The Bible calls it the parable of the wicked tenants, which directly expresses the landlord’s displeasure with the behavior of the tenants. Oftentimes, tenants get to complain a lot about landlords the […]

(SCROLL DOWN FOR THE HOMILY OF THE TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A) Isaiah 11:1–10; Ps. 72; Eph. 2:13-22; Matt. 2:13–15, 19–23 Nigeria at 63. The journey thus far has been very tough and rough! The road to the future is still zigzagged as the termites continue to torture the roof. Angels have been […]

There are four homily notes here, scroll and enjoy reading.  ISAIAH 55:6-9; PSALM 145; PHILIPPIANS 1:20-24, 27; MATTHEW 20:1-16 Fr. Thomas Oyode “Covetousness and the Magnanimity of God’s Grace” Arguably what makes Jesus’ parables so powerful is their connectedness to our everyday experiences. Today’s parable bears the same relatedness to our present existential experiences over […]

HOMILY FOR TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)   Fr. Thomas OYODE “Forgiveness: A Divine Gift” Jesus, having spoken to the disciples about fraternal correction and reconciliation in the Christian community, would not be surprised by Peter’s question about the limit of forgiveness. For us, it is a natural reaction. Today’s gospel, in other […]

Ezekiel 33:7-9/Psalms 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9/Romans 13:8-10/Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20 “Towards a Christ-centred Approach to Conflict Resolution” During my retreat with my classmates in preparation for our priestly ordination, the retreat director exhorted us to focus more on what would be going on at the Mass and to ensure that we never got distracted by thoughts of […]

Jeremiah 20:7-9; Psalm 63; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27   Fr. Thomas Oyode  “The Christian Vocation of Suffering and Cross”  Today’s readings invite us to reflect on Christian suffering. They remind us that suffering and the Cross are constitutive of our Christian character in such way that we are to bear in mind that while Christ […]

Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Psalm 65; Romans 11:13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15:21-28 Fr. Thomas Oyode  “The Canaanite Woman and Universality of Salvation” Today’s gospel reading (Matthew 15:21-28) presents to us an episode of Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman. The fact that Matthew mentions the woman’s ethnicity is significant for our reflection on the gospel passage. The […]