Homilies & Reflections
One thing I ask of the Lord. This I long to dwell in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my
life.
One thing I ask of the Lord. This I long to dwell in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my
life.
*REFLECTION FOR SATURDAY OF THE TWENTY-NINTH WEEK IN* *ORDINARY TIME YEAR II*
As we come to end of the week, the readings present to us today the message of growth and bearing of fruits. "Each of us has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it". Christ is the head by whom the whole body grows.
In the first reading (Eph 4: 7-17), St. Paul speaks of the growth of the Church, the body of Christ, the edifice of God. As different parts of the body of Christ, each of us is gifted in different ways, all "building up the body of Christ, untill we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God" (Eph. 4: 12-13). Have you been able to identify your gift, and how effective are you using it for the growth of the Body of Christ?
Jesus, in the gospel (Luke 13: 1-9) used the parable of the barren fig tree to address the necessity of bearing fruits with the gifts we are given or risk being cut down. As caretaker of the garden of life, He constantly pleads on our behalf. "Sir, leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down". Are you a barren or fruitful tree?
Dear friends, as we journey in our life today, we are called to utilize all the opportunities God has given us to be of service in building and advancing the kingdom of God.
I pray that with the Psalmist we will rejoice to be in the house of the Lord which has Christ as the keystone (Ps.122: 1). May we not be unfruitful by being indifferent to God's call to repentance, nor take God's patience for granted. May Christ be the pillar of our lives. Have a good fruit-full day!
*@Fr Francis Onwunali*
Date: 2026-08-09 - 2026-08-15
From The Chancery Dear Brothers, happy weekend! You would recall that during the last Bishop's/Priests' Meeting, the Bishop directed that the entire diocese of Umuahia should be observing a one week prayer for *Peace* in Igbo land. I am happy to inform you that, following the directive of His Lordship, the seven days prayers will begin on the 9th of August, and end on the solemnity of Our Lady's Assumption (15th of August), 2026. Take note of the following, please: 1) Take time to explain to your parishioners about the importance of the one week of prayers. 2) Draw their attention to the fact that this is directed by the Bishop himself. 3) Remember that it is a daily evening program. 4) The color to wear is black. 5) The day begins with Rosary procession and concludes with holy Mass. 6) All are advised to make sacrifices during those days. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions regarding the program. Thanks for your usual understanding and positive cooperation. Rev Henry Maduka
The Diocese of Umuahia was erected on June 23, 1958 with Most Rev. Anthony Gogo Nwaedo C.S.Sp. as its first Bishop and Most Rev Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji as the second Bishop. The diocese was carved out from the then Diocese of Owerri. Since its inception, two other dioceses: Okigwe (1981) and Aba (1990) have been excised from it. Its present area of about 2,460.40km2 spans six Local Government Areas: Umuahia North, Umuahia South, Ikwuano, Bende, Ohafia and Arochukwu.
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