Grace to you!
 
I welcome you to the first Sunday of Advent. As you may know, adventis the Latin word for “to come” or simply, in another sense, “the coming.” It refers to the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. As you may also have known, it is the Church’s new year. So, Happy New Year! 
 
Our reflections throughout this Season of Advent will be focused on the right disposition towards the End Time prophesies. 
 
End Time prophesies scare many. However, it should be for the believer a time of joyful expectation. As believers, we are certain that the end is a new beginning in Christ. We are certain of what comes ahead of us; what Saint Paul calls heavenward crown (Phil 3:14). Or what 1 Peter 5 describes as the crown of glory that never fades (1 Pet 5:4). Such certainty fills our heart with joy. 
 
During Advent, bible readings selected for worship reflect the mood of expectation. They point us to the coming of the Son of Man, Our Lord, as well as the signs recorded in different parts of the bible that will precede his coming.
 
Because Christians believe the second coming of Christ will mark the end of the world, the signs preceding the coming and the prophecies connected with it are called “End Time Prophecies.”
 
From the Gospel of Luke, we read this prophesy from the Lord: “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Lk 21:25-28). 
 
Before I weigh in on the first group of signs—astronomical events and their results, which I will discuss in tomorrow’s reflection—, I would love to say that the messages of end time are not found only in Christianity. Since the world belongs to God, He shows signs of what may happen in different ways among different peoples, believers and unbelievers, though in varied degrees.
 
Years before Christ, ancient Persia, Mede, Egypt, Mesopotamia, etc., in their various traditions, have prophecies about the End Time. Among astronomers of our time who have no relationship with Christianity, there have been predictions too—from Nostradamusto many others.  Science “fiction” stories are speculations of different expressions of the astronomical catastrophes that may destroy the earth. Recently, the concerns about an asteroid destroying a portion of the world in the future are simply physical, scientific clues.
 
The point is: everything that has a beginning in nature has an end. That is the way the Maker has structured things. The provident God also shows in different cultures, and among different peoples, signs of what may occur. Those are to remind us of the need to be centered in the very purpose and meaning of life and open our hearts to deeper realities. 
 
Here is what we may take home today. The Lord assured us that he will come again. Surely, he will. The End Time will come. Certainly. It’s a biblical truth. There are other scientific indicators to its reality. Second, it will happen at God’s time, not necessarily by human means. People could see the signs. They could piece things together to figure out what is happening so as to prepare. However, no one knows exactly when the End Time will occur (Mt 24:36).
 
So, what do you think is the nature of these astronomical signs? Tomorrow’s reflection will shed some light. In the meantime, let not the thoughts of End Time scare you. Instead, be filled with joyful expectation. Amen. 
 
God love you.  God bless you.
 
[First Sunday of Advent C: Jer 33:14-16; 1 Thes 3:12-4:2; Lk 21:25-28, 34-36]
 
 

Grace to you! 
 
A priest had five Masses on a Sunday, including the last Mass which ended at 7:30pm. After the marathon, he was completely exhausted and passed out. 
 
In the morning, volunteers who count the offerings from Sunday Masses had come in the rectory. They had the access code. When they came in, the priest was still fast asleep. 
 
However, they noticed the rectory had been broken into. Burglars had torn the rectory apart while the priest was deep in sleep. When they woke the priest, he could not believe that while he was sleeping, the window of the rectory was broken, bottles of wine popped, and a few things stolen from the rectory. Thank God the thieves didn’t see the safe or hurt him.
 
This true story could be an introduction to a sermon on spiritual vigilance. As we begin Advent today, a time we reenact the events of the First Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in anticipation of the Second Coming, we read from Scripture the need for spiritual vigilance. We also learn the disposition that should be ours this period.
 
Isaiah 63 and 64 appeal to the compassionate Heart of God, our Father, stirring our hearts to be that of humble repentance. We anticipate the coming with a heart that is open for Divine invitation. We are assured that God is Our Father, a revelation that is one of the most powerful in the Old Testament. 
 
With a humble disposition, we have to live in vigilant hope. It is possible to be so overwhelmed or caught up in our day to day activities that we are fatigued, we pass out and become unaware of events and do not notice the time of our saving grace. Sometimes, quiet and prayerful contemplation could keep us centered; attuned to the signs the Lord is giving.
 
During these weeks of Advent, spiritual vigilance is key. More time for prayer and quiet would be helpful. If we cultivate this skill set, it will help us all through the year.
 
One thing is certain: The best vigilance is to be at our duty post. As St. Dominic replied to St. John Bosco when he was asked what he would do if Christ came now, he said: “I will keep doing what I’m doing right now because I know I’m at my duty post.”  
 
Whether the Lord comes or calls us in the first watch, second, third or fourth, which could mean when we’re a child, a teen, young adult, adult or senior citizen, makes no difference. 
 
Be vigilant. Be at your duty post. If we do what we could if Christ were here, every time, we are good to go. No need to be anxious.
 
Praying for the grace of vigilance. 
 
God Love you. God bless you. 
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 
 
[First Sunday of Advent Year B: Is 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7; 1 Cor 1:3-9; Mk 13:33-37]

Grace to you and Merry Christmas!
 
I hope you are enjoying the joyful spirit of the Christmas season.
 
I would love to share with you a reflection based on a terrifying story from the bible. It is the gruesome murder of The Holy Innocents by the so-called Herod the Great who (according to the popular historian of Ancient history, Josephus) was the Roman appointed king of Israel from around 40 BC to 4 AD. The story is recorded only in the gospel of Matthew 2:13-18. No one is sure of the number of children murdered at his command, but certainly many. The church honors the lives of those children every 28th of December.
 
A little background information about the Herod could serve as a prelude. Herod the Great was one of the bloodiest tyrants in Israelite history, and historical records (from Josephus) show he murdered many of his own family members, including his favorite wife, her grandfather, her brother, and some of his own children. History also shows he married ten wives; and on one occasion, hemmed in an entire Sanhedrin  (that is, those in a courtroom, similar to a jury, the attorneys and the judge deciding a case) and assassinated them for not favoring his interest in a case. He did similar things to the nobles of Jerusalem when he wasn’t sure of their loyalty. He was a bloodthirsty murderer. Jesus was born when this Herod was the King of Israel.
 
Whenever I read the story of the murder of The Holy Innocents, my heart sinks and my stomach is upset because it is horrible. One may be wondering why would this leader of a people want to kill innocent children, all the children from and under the age of two? Many reasons could be discerned based on the bible’s narrative of this story and a little background information about the so-called Herod the Great.
 
First, Herod was obsessed with power. Hence, he was ruthless in dealing with any imagined or real threat to his power and kingship. That was why his was a history of serial murders, neither sparing his wife and family nor the noble men in Jerusalem, and finally many innocent babies in Bethlehem. Obsession with power is a dangerous thing, and if not checked, it could cause untold harm to the person, his or her family and to society. They say power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. God save us from excessive thirst for power.
 
Connected to obsession with power is obsession for economic control. Many suppose that with money, power could be built and sustained; and those who have power try to control the ways and means of wealth. We hear nowadays that what works is only what is economically profitable, measured by cash flow and economic security. When Herod was, therefore, imagining that the birth of Jesus would threaten his power, one could guess Herod was equally concerned about who controls the economy; who controls the money. Politics of economy, without reference to fundamental value of life, is very dangerous.
 
Finally, there is recklessness in relation to life. When power and economy are sole drivers of people’s interest in society, whether in politics, in schools, in churches and even in the family, life suffers because, intentionally or inadvertently, there seems to be recklessness against the Sacredness of Life, as well as respect and love for one another. If we are reckless about life, we are desensitized to the reality of how precious life is, and like Herod, anything goes. The unborn baby wouldn’t have a chance, nor would senior citizens, two groups who are the most vulnerable in our society.
 
Save life. Love life. Live life. Life is precious.
 
May God save us from obsession for power and for money and grants us the favor to love and treasure life, from the natural conception to natural death. Amen.
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu

Grace to you!
 
To wrap up our discussions on grace, we reflect on the fourth group of the functions of God’s grace in the soul, namely special graces or charisms. We have already reflected on the nature of grace in general focusing on sanctifying grace (deifying grace or habitual grace also known as grace of justification), actual grace and sacramental grace.
 
Those in the religious life tend to have a deeper understanding of special graces or charisms. Charisms shouldn’t be understood in the exclusive sense of charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit, which Saint Paul richly talked about in I Corinthians 12. They are part of it. In addition, there are special graces for special ministries in the Church. Religious founders, for instance, receive those graces; hence, their religious orders.
 
Special graces or charisms are a unique calling within a calling. It’s that which makes us realize and live our unique gifts and special contributions for the growth of the Church and the glory of God. Those in the monastery have the special grace of being intercessors for the world. Many religious nuns have special charisms of attending to the poor, the homeless, the needy, etc.
 
The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes it this way: “There are furthermore special graces, also called charisms after the Greek term used by St. Paul and meaning "favor," "gratuitous gift," "benefit." Whatever their character - sometimes it is extraordinary, such as the gift of miracles or of tongues—charisms are oriented toward sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good of the Church. They are at the service of charity which builds up the Church (1 Cor 12)” (CCC, 2003).
 
Having read many of the masters of Christian spirituality and having interacted with many who are deeply involved in the spiritual life, in addition to my personal experience, it seems to me that recognizing our charisms and using them are key to a life of happiness. I understand many don’t know their charisms and others rarely use their charisms. Blessed are those who know and use their charisms.
 
Charisms are granted by the Holy Spirit through the different channels of grace the Lord has provided for the Church. They flow from the sacraments and the Word of God and are constantly nourished by a regular life of prayer. Pray more and see how your gifts will crystalize.
 
Like the grace of service, charisms help to build the body of Christ (see Ephesians 4:12; I Corinthians 12:7).
 
Consider what happens when someone who has the charism of healing prayed for your sick relative and she regained her health. Wouldn’t your family be edified? Or when you are struggling with indecision, and through the charism of discernment granted to a fellow believer, you find a clearer vision of God’s plan in your life. Wouldn’t this edify your spirit?
 
We have to be certain of this, and I think I have mentioned it before, God in Christ supplies all the graces we need for our salvation and to live a happy, joyful life here on earth. We come to Jesus, the child whose birth we celebrate tomorrow, for the graces we need for a joyful life.
 
Hence, on this last day of Advent and the last day of our reflections on grace, may we come before the Infant Jesus with gratitude, asking him to fill our hearts with his love and all the graces we need to be joyful, enthused and dynamic believers in our today’s world. So the world, seeing our good works, will give glory to the Father in heaven. Amen.
 
Thank you for journeying with me through these twenty-eight days of Advent as we reflected on grace. I hope you found the thoughts edifying. Please pray for me, so I will continue to come to Jesus, listening and following. Pray for our ministry of evangelisation too, that God will continue to grant the graces we need to keep on for his glory. If the Lord inspires you to support our mission, please see this link on how you can do so.
 
Merry Christmas!
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 

Grace to you!
 
Today, we conclude our reflection on sacramental grace. Tomorrow we will wrap up the entire discussion on grace by reflecting on special graces or charisms.
 
Recently, I had an edifying discussion with a younger priest. “I have come to realize,” he said, “that the joy of the priesthood is in being poured out for the good of others.” It couldn’t be said any better. God bless his soul.
 
The happiest priests I have ever known are those who are driven to respond to God’s call for service. It could be praying for people, visiting them when they are sick, offering Mass schedules that fit the parish timetable (not special interest groups, the so-called moneybags), spending ample time in praying and preparing the homily so as to feed the people well, and being available for the people.
 
Simple gestures such as hanging out with people when it isn’t convenient and having a listening ear when they are burdened and want to share, all add up to fulfilling the mission to serve. 
 
Joyful priests have learned from our Lord that their calling is rooted in the grace of service. “The Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
 
Ordained ministers and married couples share one grace in common, namely, the grace of service. They are called to serve others in a special way. Ordained ministers are granted the grace to serve the Church, the people of God. Married couples are granted the grace to serve one another and their children, if they are blessed with children. This grace is granted them during ordination and during the sacrament of matrimony.
 
Observe the life of joyfully married couples. The man has known how to step back and let the wife who is “in charge of the house” make some tough decisions. Sometimes, the decisions are inconvenient; yet, if peace must reign in the home, and if their love will grow, the man must let go. Self-giving is the key to married love.
 
Married women also realize they are no longer single. They must sacrifice a lot in the interest of their husband. Parents too have learned the sweet bitter lesson of planning, not around their schedule, but around the schedule of their non-adult children.
 
You may not need to ask, how do I, a priest who isn’t married, know all these. Many married couples confide in the priest and share many marriage situations, hence I know.  
 
If ordained ministers and married couples must live the nature of their vocations, they fit the description Jesus used regarding Peter: “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go” (John 21:18).
 
Isn’t it true that many times people don’t want to have kids because they are not ready for the service-sacrifices connected with having children? They simply aren’t ready to be pulled here and there by kid stuff. The messiness and unpredictability are rather too much for their self-interest.
 
Some want to remain single, preferring to have the so-called partner, because of the risk of losing some of their conveniences, including their assets. We should be ready to confront these fears.
 
There is joy in being service-oriented. Hence, the Lord provides ordained ministers and married couples the grace of service when they receive the sacrament of their vocations.
 
I hope you are aware that many of the graces of the other sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Confessions and Anointing of the Sick) are for the direct benefit of the recipients, save for Holy Orders and Matrimony which are first directed in service of others (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC, n. 1533-1535).
 
Hence the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls them the sacrament of service. “Holy Orders and Matrimony, are directed towards the salvation of others; if they contribute as well to personal salvation, it is through service to others that they do so. They confer a particular mission in the Church and serve to build up the People of God” (CCC, 1534).
 
On this Day 27 of Advent, we ask the Good Lord Jesus Christ to grant us the grace of service, so like Mary (see Luke 1:39), we shall hurry in haste to serve others. Amen. Christmas is an apt time to serve.
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
 
 
 

Grace to you!
 
At the Confessional and during the anointing of the sick, priests witness one of the most incredible connections with human feelings and frailties, as well as an instant power of God’s grace of healing. Not surprisingly, since both sacraments (Confession and Anointing of the Sick) are unique for their healing graces; hence they are called the sacraments of healing. 
 
May I share a few thoughts about healing versus cure. Healing shouldn’t be understood as cure. Cure relates to the actual treatment of an ailment (sickness or injury), resulting in bodily wellbeing. Healing goes deeper. While it may entail cure, it is not necessarily about cure as it is about inner wholeness, without which the sick person would not be at peace. Healing can be understood as being at peace with a cured or uncured situation of sickness.
 
For instance, the entire emotional, psychological and spiritual dispositions of the sick person could only be restored to balance, not by pills, but by more emotional and spiritual connections. Chaplains at hospitals would tell how their presence adds such a big therapeutic value to the care of the sick. So also, the presence of the sick person’s loved ones.
 
Regarding the grace of healing, therefore, the sacrament of anointing of the sick (see James 5:14-15) has a unique grace of healing which it confers on the sick. The grace isn’t about cure, but about healing. Many times, people have also received actual physical healing when they were anointed, but the healing from within is the special grace of this sacrament.
 
You remember that time a priest visited you (perhaps, your health was having a turn for the worse); or it could be the priest visited your loved one who needed anointing. After the anointing, you or the person felt peace with your situation. There was a new insight on the suffering, a better disposition to fight on, the inspiration to unite your suffering with the suffering of Christ on the cross and to offer it as prayer for many who are suffering, plus a positive perspective about suffering. Such grace is granted by this sacrament.
 
In addition, there is the healing of the soul from any dirt of sin. Hence, often Confession is administered (and if the sick can’t confess, absolution is granted), calling the grace of forgiveness upon the sick.
 
For those in their final stage of life (which is why this sacrament was popularly regarded as the Last Rite or Extreme Unction), the Apostolic Blessing, also called Apostolic Pardon, is granted, preparing the person for the final homecoming in heaven.
 
A few words about Apostolic Blessing are appropriate here since many Catholics don’t know about it. Apostolic Blessing is when the priest applies the grace of “[binding and] losing” (Matthew 18:18) to a sick member of the Church who is in his or her final moments of life on earth. The essence is to apply the grace of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus to them so their sins, having been forgiven, and the punishment due to sin having been remitted, they will be ready for the final homecoming in heaven.
 
See two samples of the prayer of Apostolic Blessing and appreciate what it does: “Through the holy mysteries of our redemption may almighty God release you from all punishments in this life and in the life to come. May he open to you the gates of paradise and welcome you to everlasting joy.”
 
The other version goes like this: “By the authority which the Apostolic See has given me, I grant you a full pardon and the remission of all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
 
May this grace be granted me when it’s time to go home. Amen. It’s my prayer for you too.
 
On this Day 26 of Advent, how about we offer some prayers of thanksgiving to God who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 

 
 
 

Grace to you!
 
We continue our reflections on grace by looking at the favor of God we receive at the Sacrament of Confirmation. Here we call it the grace of confirmation.
 
Confirmation is one of those sacraments many Catholics seem not to pay serious attention to, except that they usually received it when they were about 13 or 14 years. Many see it as a social event, part of the ritual of being a high school Catholic kid; a sort of sorority endorsement. Yet, this is a great sacrament through which we receive, in the most unique way, a person, the third person of the Blessed Trinity, the Holy Spirit.
 
Imagine the Holy Spirit paying you a visit, not a casual visit—he has come to stay—and you didn’t realize it? It seems ironical, does it not? For those who understand what grace they receive at Confirmation, they are afire for God, strengthened, renewed and rejuvenated by the anointing of the Holy Spirit they’ve received. Joy, fullness of joy is their dominant mode.
 
Christian life is life in Christ through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the soul of the apostolate; and without the Holy Spirit, no one can say Jesus is Lord (I Corinthians 12:3). When people complain that they don’t seem to have a dynamic, inspiring and intentional relationship with Jesus; nor do they connect with the richness of the graces in the Sacraments and the Word of God, often it’s due to the lack of a relationship with the Holy Spirit.
 
For the Church to be truly “missionary disciples” (an expression used by Pope Francis to describe active involvement in the ministry of evangelisation), believers must be revitalized by the power of the Holy Spirit.
 
Guess what? The Lord Jesus provides the full grace of his Spirit, the Holy Spirit, on believers during the Sacrament of Confirmation. If you have been confirmed, would you for a while reflect on the memories of the day of your confirmation? When the hands of the Bishop or his delegate, were laid upon you with this signature biblical declaration made, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Then, you did receive the Holy Spirit.
 
Many times, I hear people who have been confirmed ask if they could receive the Holy Spirit. My first response is: have you been confirmed? If you have been confirmed, you have been filled with the Holy Spirit, granted to you through the apostolic grace of the Church under the bishop.
 
That you didn’t feel it is simply because this grace isn’t about feeling. It’s about what happens in your inner nature, your core, and your soul. It’s that indelible mark impacted upon you. When we pray, “Come Holy spirit,” we are asking for the Holy Spirit’s renewal, revitalization grace. We ask that what we have received may be fanned into flame, as Saint Paul admonished Timothy, his son in the Lord (2 Timothy 1:6). Hence, fanning it into flame by openness to the Spirits promptings, regular prayer life, and living the life of grace.
 
Confirmation deepens what we receive at Baptism. Its grace is always tied to Baptism. The grace we receive at Baptism is deepened and revitalized by the grace of Confirmation.
 
Baptism, Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist, as you may know, are the three sacraments of Christian initiation. Baptism welcomes us into the body of Christ; Confirmation strengthens, empowers and renews us as believers; and the Holy Eucharist feeds us with the Body of Christ, as well as assures our full incorporation into Christ.
 
On this Day 25 of Advent, may we pray that the Holy Spirit will fill our hearts with his love and zeal for the things of God as we await the coming of the Lord. Amen.
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu