Grace to you!
 
Relationships have an element of reciprocity. Though the object of that reciprocity may vary, there is a fair expectation of it.
 
Let me use simple job training as an example. You landed a new job. The management walks you through some procedures and training. The onboarding and training to get you going costs management some resources. Suppose at the end of the training, despite the investment so you will perform optimally, you didn't improve the necessary skills for the job. What would likely be the result?
 
Unless the job belongs to your family and your family doesn't care about the consequences, I don't think you would retain it. If for some reason you do, the organization may be negatively impacted. The expectation at the end of your training is a reciprocal expectation.
 
Let me use another example. You started a small business with a family member or a close friend. Two of you were the best of friends. You and your partner researched the relevant laws concerning the company and were adequately informed about the expectations. The business started well. It became very successful. Unfortunately, your partner decided to ignore crucial policies and procedures. It was his choice.
 
Thus, the company's books weren't adding up. You could smell a rat, not only concerning some in-house mismanagement, but the state's laws are violated. The consequences would be grave for both of you and the entire business if the culprit weren't held accountable for the gross, unethical actions. What would you do?
 
Ignore it? Demand accountability? Isn’t it clear that the baseline expectation underlying your dilemma in handling this problem is an expectation of reciprocity?
 
I see this all the time as a priest ministering to the pastoral and spiritual needs of people.  Many are gravely hurt if a friend's fair expectation of reciprocity isn't met. Though people generally aren't perfect in keeping their side of each relationship, a reasonable expectation is taken for granted.
 
May we apply this analogy, partly and carefully, in the understanding of judgment. Some people don't want to hear anything about divine judgment, though they wouldn't mind watching a movie on cataclysmic Judgment. Nonetheless, judgment, divine judgment, could be seen in the light of reciprocity.
 
If you suppose that judgment is when God calls us and punishes us for the wrongs we have done, you most probably miss the point. Instead, judgment is when our choices move us in the opposite direction of divine blessedness. It is us who choose the road to perdition. The choice is ours. God does not choose for us. The Lord once said, "Not one was lost except the one who chose to be lost…" (Jn 17:12).
 
The expectation of reciprocity is that, generally, people move towards what is their preference, and each has a reciprocal consequence. Not making use of our blessings is choosing to appear unblessed, just as there is a thin line between lack of love and hate. Some choose love, others the opposite of love—hate.
 
The Blessed Lord Jesus condemned the unrepentant people of three cities in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 11:20-24. The cities—Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum—were wealthy and influential. The Lord Jesus walked, worked, and did many miracles revealing his identity among them. Yet, they didn't believe in him. The expectation of reciprocal gratitude was lacking. It's like rebuffing a handshake. Never rebuff a handshake.
 
Heaven is for those who return love for love and offer love for hate. It’s the home of those who welcome a handshake of Divine Grace and Revelation. Heaven is when, despite our limitations, we show how grateful we are of our blessings. A state of mind with this disposition of gratitude fears no judgment nor sees it as agonizing. 
 
Keep this in mind, at least for today. God's expectation isn't a give-and-take that benefits God, but a response that makes us better for it. The law of reciprocity, in this sense, is part of our success story. It's our choice. Heaven is our choice. So also, hell. God wouldn't force either on us. Moreover, the claim that hell is spurious does not change the reality of divine judgment. We get what we choose. 
 
I pray we reciprocate love for love. Amen. 
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
[Tuesday, Week 15, Ordinary Time: Is 7:1-9; Matthew 11:20-24] 

Grace to you!
 
For those who live in the Sahara and the ancient Near East regions' arid axis, water is one of the most priceless commodities. It is similar to the situation in southern California and Arizona; and some of the desert areas of North Africa. In such regions, snow on the mountains or rain in the valley is a sure sign that farmers would smile. The lush green vegetation would greet travelers as they commute the winding highways or byways. 
 
The effect of water on vegetation's flourishing, thereby food production and supply, is evident. Appealing to this imagery, Isaiah's prophecy (55:10-11) announces the fruitfulness of God's Word.
 
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Is 55:10-11). 
 
In the above prophecy, God's Word is personified, just like in many other biblical texts where the Word of God is alluded to as a person (see Wis 9:9-10, Jn 1:14). The Word of God is powerful and effective, life-giving. This Word isn't a thing or a mere vocal breath inscribed in texts or typography. It isn't the product of our keyboards or smartphone clicks. Nor is it ink on wood parchment. This Word is a person, Christ the Lord.  
 
Thus, this prophecy of Isaiah was already pointing to the Incarnation when God's Word will become flesh and dwell among us (Jn 1:14). The prophecy is the epilogue of the second of three segments of Isaiah's prophecies. The first one is from chapter 1 to 39, the second is from chapter 40 to 55, and the third is from chapter 56 to 66. One sees the cycle of a fall and redemption and the ultimate fulfillment in the Messiah, as a thread across all three of the segments.
 
Nothing is as fruitful as the life of God. Nothing is as life-giving as God's Word, which is Christ.
 
The prologue of John unveils this great mystery. How God's Word was in the beginning and was with God the Father, and how life is in the Word, the life which is also light for humanity (Jn 1:1-5). Thus, when God's Word, who is Christ, finds a home in any heart, it blooms. Just like water watering the arid ground, so does the Word make true life blossom in that person.
 
Have you ever wondered why the Church insists that the nucleus of evangelization is the Word, Christ? It is because Christ is the only one who gives life to the human heart and spirit, and elevates our life to become new, Divine life within.  
 
The Church, however, also underscores the subjective dimension of what Christ has done. Just like in the parable of the sower, though the Word is alive and active (Heb 4:12), the human person has to say yes to Christ (the Word) for there to be the flourishing that the Word gives. The Word can't force its life on anyone. One has to embrace the Word for its transforming grace.
 
A "thanks and but no thanks" response means the Word plays a different role too. Since it has to fulfill its nature, it is either a blessing for the soul or judgment for rejection. One of the most gentle things about God's Word is that it doesn't go against the human person's freedom. Instead, Scripture tells us Christ is like the guest knocking at the door: "I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me" (Rev 3:20). 
 
Thus, the sower, who is also Christ, and by special grace, those who preach him, continues to sow the Word (cf. Mt 13:1-23). The Word of God in Scripture read at liturgical celebrations and celebrated in the liturgical rites continues to be planted through the altars and pulpits of churches and in everyday life of faith sharing insofar as Christ is shared. Openness to God's Word, Christ, is in our best interest as we grow and mature in the true life, the life of God that Christ gives. 
 
I pray we continue to be renewed in the Word. Amen. 
 
 God love you. God bless you. 
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
[15th Sunday Ordinary Time A: Is 55:10-11; Rm 8:18-23; Mt 13:1-23]

 
Grace to you!
 
If you have been following my reflections this week, you would observe that we have been drawing from the Lord's commissioning words to his twelve apostles. It is what's popularly called, The Mission of the Twelve. The lessons from the commissioning of the apostles could be applied to every believer as well.
 
In life, certain things are inevitable. For instance, we are born, and someday we must die. No science can stop this. Another unavoidable aspect of life is: As our faces are different, so are our perspectives. "One man's food," they say, "is another's poison." We can't change this fact. It's part of human complex diversity. 
 
While we wish to have a plethora of “saints,” and have high hopes for a world where people behave like angels, this expectation is unrealistic. Often, people have shock because they projected their expectations on others but received the very opposite in return.
 
Our lack of homogeneity is our beauty. We must have to come to terms with it, enjoy its beauty, and bear its flaws.
 
Consider that before you became an “intentional disciple” of Christ, you had expected it would be a smooth ride. You now know it isn’t.
 
The expectation that being a believer results in a comfortable life on the beach of endless comfort is a seed of colossal disappointment. One of the most deceptions of prosperity gospel preachers is to propose Christianity of Easter deprived of the brokenness of Good Friday—suffering. God has not promised us a paradise on earth. Providence doesn't imply that the acceptance of God would mean the end of worries. No wealth or cross-less life was guaranteed. So, if a preacher is telling you otherwise, please take it with a pinch of salt.
 
The Lord’s consistent advice to his disciples was the inevitability of suffering, of the cross and sometimes, of persecutions. “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household?” (Mt 10:25).
 
What the Lord advises is for the believer to "fear not" (Mt 10:26,28,31). He reassures us that the worst thing to happen in life isn't persecution, which can only destroy our body. I would include here by way of application what can tarnish our name, our image, and rip us of our wealth and inheritance. The worst thing to happen to us is the loss of our core, soul, and eternal life.
 
Think about it, if we must grow into resilient faith, then we must anchor on that object which the faith is ordered, namely God. This helps in dealing with persecutions. Faith is key to dealing with the inevitable. With faith, one can hang in there even if it’s too difficult to stand. Confident trust in God is a bulwark of strength. 
 
May God strengthen you in your daily trials and increase your faith. Amen. My special prayers for you today as you deal with life challenges. 
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
[Saturday, Week 14 Ordinary Time:  Isaiah 6:1-8; Matthew 10:24-33] 

Grace to you!
 
I continue the reflection on the twelve apostles' mission, as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew 10. It is part of what I shared with you yesterday. The Lord advises the apostles: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16). What a combination!
 
You may have an idea of what those parallels suggest—the wisdom of the snake and the innocence of the dove?
 
As an African and having seen live snakes a few times in some of our bushes, I know.  Also, having lived on the mountain here in the U.S.A., where rattlesnakes are, I have some knowledge of the "skills" of the snake. I had to research snakes to be safe from them where I live.
 
Snakes are shrewd. With poor eyesight, adapted to see more at night, they learn fast how to meander through dangerous paths and not fall prey to predators. A few species, like pit vipers, have high sensitivity at night. It is something that acts like an infrared light making it highly safe for them to crawl their way to safety amidst dangerous paths.
 
For the most part, snakes' crawls are unnoticeable. They are so silent that one could easily step on a huge snake without knowing it was there. When they buzz, hiss, or rattle depending on their species, they often lure their bait or warn an intruder.
 
Snakes are smart. They know precisely when to be visible and when to hide. They can easily spot the safest zones in the field and readily hide in case of danger. They are highly intuitive, as well.
 
Finally, snakes don’t expose themselves unnecessarily. Their first instinct is how to preserve themselves and resurface when the danger is over. They are the best examples of the instinct of self-preservation at work. 
 
The Blessed Lord Jesus says, "Be wise as a serpent." Why? 
 
I suggest, because the territory of missions, of evangelization and the cultures which the gospel must penetrate, are, for the most part, hostile to the gospel message. The Lord compares the evangelizer as sheep among wolves. It's not funny at all. 
​
Look, for instance, at the odds the evangelizer must face. You are preaching purity to the sexualized world. You are preaching traditional gospel marriage to a world that sees it differently. You are preaching 
love to a world that prefers hate and vengeance. You are preaching obedience to God when many have banished that virtue from their way of life. 
 
The evangelizer is calling for faith in God, who has a personal relationship with us in Christ. On the other hand, popular culture is advocating for impersonal spiritualities or any other not focused on one form of religion. The list is endless. Many of the core values of the Gospel of Christ are at variance with pop culture. 
 
So how would you, as a messenger of God’s Word, live and operate in such an environment? 
 
The Lord shows a simple strategy: Be wise as a snake. See those qualities of the snake, don't be unnecessarily loud, don't waste your words, know when to act, and when to refrain. Know exactly how to identify and use opportunities well. Be smart.
 
The Lord adds: "Be innocent as a dove." Namely, be known as a gentle, peaceful, pure, and honest person. Be meek as well, because the message you bring is ultimately about "shalom"—peace. It isn't you that bring about the transforming impact of the message. It is the Word itself, which can renew and shatter the rocks of hardened hearts. The power of your message isn't because you said it. It is because it is true and of God. So, don't force about it.
 
A combination of these two qualities would help our work of evangelization today. However, know that it won't stop us from being persecuted. We can't avoid persecution altogether, no matter how much we try. Our assurance from the Lord is this: "He who endures to the end will be saved" (Mt 10: 22).
 
I pray for firm commitment to the mandate to bear witness to God’s saving grace without fear. Amen. 
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
[Friday Week 14: Hosea 14: 2-10; Matthew 10:16-23]

 
Grace to you!
 
Concerning giving back, there are at least two philosophies of life. They are "We live when we receive," and "We live when we give back."
 
Following these two philosophies of life are two groups of people: Those who believe they have come to receive and those who believe they have come to give back. The one philosophy of life says, "I am here to be served." The other says, "I have come to serve." The one seeks the crown and gets the cross. The other embraces sacrifice, the cross, and receives the crown!
 
These two classes of people exist in virtually every organization. In meetings and prayer rooms of church ministries, they are present too. They may be subtle. Look carefully, you will notice. 
 
You will notice the first in that humble man who is always looking for how to volunteer. He does so with a big smile. You will see the second group in the other man who rarely volunteers, and seldom gives a cup of coffee to anyone. Yet, he is always whining about how nobody helps him or sees things his way.
 
In our everyday life, we experience these opposing philosophies. One is opposed to the other because when one is upheld, the other is suppressed.
 
I find in the mission of the twelve (Mt 10:7-15) the Lord's insight into choosing to be givers rather than receivers. The key players in the story are Jesus, the twelve apostles, and those to whom the apostles were commissioned and sent to evangelize.
 
The Lord sends. The missionary or evangelizer doesn’t send oneself. It is Jesus who sends. The directives are pretty straightforward. No hangovers. It has to be done with every measure of detachment and generosity. The evangelizer, the missionary, must be disposed to give without charge. First and foremost, he has to be the giver. 
 
How about the evangelizer’s sustenance? The Lord promises the people would provide. “The laborer deserves his wages” (Mt 10:10). 
 
Wait a minute, one may say. How would this work in real life? 
 
I suggest it lies in our realizing that both the evangelizer and the evangelized, the pastor and the parishioners, the minister, and the people have to think of themselves as givers, not merely receivers. As Saint Paul, adapting Proverbs 22:9, reminded the Ephesians during his farewell address: "Blessed is the hand that gives than the hand that takes" (Acts 20:35).
 
The person who receives God's Word should realize that he or she has a spiritual obligation to give back. Give to your Church. Give to the poor. Give back to your community. Give to others. Preachers should also see their role as that of givers and not careerists whose desire is to work for pay.
 
If the work of evangelization must be set apart from other economic relationships, it must be built on the gospel truth, not based on trade-by-barter deals. A spirit of Christian generosity must be the watchword.
 
Call it complementary? Yes, because if all give, all will complement one another.  Subsidiarity? Yes, for regarding ministry, we help one another as God wills; a person’s strength should support another’s weakness; a person’s surplus, provision for the needy.
 
May there be a generous disposition in the ministry. Amen
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
[Thursday Week 14: Hosea 11:1-4, 8c-9; Matthew 10:7-15]

Grace to you!
 
I reflect on the need for Church organizational structure and passionate leaders. 
 
I recently ran an idea concerning a big diocesan project by a friend who is an expert in strategic business planning. I noticed that my friend made little or no contribution to the project's nature and funding source. Instead, he suggested I take as a priority, the personnel training and succession planning regarding the project's future, and advise the bishop of that diocese on specifics of personnel planning and human resource management.
 
Many ideas die not because people don't have the financial and infrastructural resources to execute them. It is because they don't have the right personnel to lead and manage. Many times, churches struggle due to poor staff and human resource management. Anyone who is trained in leadership and management understands this fundamental reality.
 
When I read the gospel of Matthew 10:1-7, I am fascinated by the brilliant example the Blessed Lord Jesus, the leader par excellence, leaves for the Church. The Lord's mission of bringing about the reign of God has to be continued. He had to train, inspire, mentor, commission, and equip those to further the mission after him. He had to set up a structure in which his authority and Spirit will lead, so his mission will spread to the whole world (Mt 28:19-20).
 
For those clamoring for a church without structures, a free-for-all spiritual experience without commissioned leadership or organization, be sure you are asking for the kind of Church the Lord commissioned. A free-for-all spiritual experience sounds nice. But is it the Church the Lord founded?
 
Before choosing the twelve apostles (Mt 10:1-7), the Lord Jesus taught his followers how abundant the harvest is. He contrasted this with how scarce the personnel who are willing and enthusiastic to serve. He admonished them to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers to the harvest (Mt 9:38). I reflected on this in a previous essay.
 
Next, he showed an example by selecting twelve out of his numerous disciples to become chosen leaders to carry on the mission. Rightly called the pillars of the Church with the prophets before them, and Christ as the chief cornerstone (Eph 2:20), the apostolic college is evidence of that structure. 
 
By asking the disciples to pray, I believe they were praying for themselves and for many after them to be open to divine invitation to serve to promote God's reign. That prayer continues.
 
Pray for the same petition. We need more passionate messengers of the Lord. As you pray, open your heart for the possibility to serve the way the Lord desires. 
 
Scripture mentions the names of the twelve (Mt 10:1-6). So, they were real people, not imagery characters. Those were ordinary men without exceptional training. None of them had elitist portfolios. Yet, the Lord saw in their heart the desire to serve first before leading. Hence, he chose them.
 
No need to count yourself out of the mission because you suppose you aren't qualified. What it takes is a passion, love for the Lord's cause, and the desire to serve. The Lord does not call the perfect or qualified. Rather, he equips anyone he has chosen and makes them fit for his mission through the power of his grace (see I Cor 1:27-29).
 
Robert Greenleaf, the servant leadership theorist, once said that great leaders have the desire to serve first. Hence, when they have the authority, they lead well. Fr. Robert Spitzer of Magis Center suggests great leaders lead from the heart. They are passionate and homed in on the vision. I would say they own the vision and mission and live them in their lives.  
 
I am praying that we keep the mission of the reign of God alive wherever we find ourselves. Amen.
 
God love you. God bless you. 
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
[Wednesday Week 14 Ordinary Time: Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12: Mt 10:1-7]

Grace to you!
 
Previously, I reflected on the healing touches of Christ. Here, I share some thoughts on the heart of Jesus, who is moved because his sheep are hungry and thirsty.
 
For the past decade, I have been actively involved in different ways in the ministry of evangelization through the media. I have received hundreds of thousands of correspondences and feedback. One of the common threads is the desire of God's people to be fed.
 
This thread is also found in churches as members come seeking the ways of the Lord. They are also expressed in different ways on social media, as many share kind words or burst out in reckless speeches. Underlining is a need—searching for succor and healing.
 
In private messenger messages, they, however, pour their hearts. They allow themselves to be vulnerable while expressing their fears, worries, and the need to be spiritually fed.
 
As the Blessed Lord walked about the cities and villages, he preached the message of the kingdom. He also brought healing to people (see Mt 9:32-38). They meet the Lord in different ways. 
 
Some encounter the Lord because of the miracles they have witnessed. Some meet the Lord through the power of the word they have heard. Some gradually, in a sort of gradual revelation, through various nudges of grace in the ordinary events of life. Others meet him more dramatically.
 
Scripture tells us, "faith comes by hearing" (Rom 10:17). But if no one proclaims this Word, how could they hear? (Rom 10:14). If those who come to us do not hear divine messages, who then can speak it. If we cease being the light, what then is our place as Christ's witnesses in the world?
 
Yes! Some say the culture has changed, and our Catholic or Christian message is no longer relevant. Good enough. How about turning it this way. It could be that as a Catholic, I have lost the glow for which I am the light. If I'm not passionate about faith-life and faith values, who would?
 
The Lord speaks about the richness of the harvest. It is not the harvest of tomatoes or grapes. It is not the harvest of classy homes, branded clothes, and pieces of jewelry; and private jets and limousines as prosperity gospel preachers peddle for their niche. It is the harvest of hearts and souls who are born again, renewed in the healing, saving Word.
 
Come to think of it; the pains and structures of evil in our world do not crumble because we made laws and policies. They crumble because hearts are renewed to breathe life into those laws.
 
The harvest is plenty because many are still living in spiritual decay. The harvest is abundant because sin still imprisons so many in the world. The harvest is plentiful because we are yet to establish a just society and the reign of God and righteousness.
 
God calls us to do so. Much more are ordained ministers, church hierarchy, to lead in this mission. Nothing should be of a better priority than doing just that.
 
I am praying for the zeal of bold witnessing and the renewing grace of saving souls. Amen.
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
[Tuesday Week 14: Hos 8:4-7, 11-13; Mt 9:32-38]