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!
 
You had an inspiration. It was simple and calming. Yet its demand was not what you wanted to do after all. Deep within you, it seems right to do. The result would positively impact lives. It was the first voice within you, the voice of well-formed conscience. 
 
Then comes another voice. It is loud. It aligns with your ego. It is built off of give and take. It seems fair to you. Though you weren’t sure if it springs from true love or charity. It gives you alternative reasons why you shouldn’t follow through with the first voice. It weighs this and weighs that…. It highlights complications that would arise if you followed the first voice. It instills fear and doubt. It shows you all the negatives; hardly, showing the positives. It is a one-sided loud story. 
 
You were swayed. You listened to that second voice. Days or months or years later, you realize you made a terrible mistake. You didn’t listen to the simple invitation of God to follow the right line of action. You realize, “I blew it.” It would cost you a lot to do it over. Yet, be sure that when you realize you made a terrible choice, it is God’s grace inviting you for an incredible rebuilding and do-over. God can rebuild you. Trust God. Walk with God. 
 
Many times, we blow an opportunity because we do not listen to that first voice of God inviting us to a direction that the Lord wants. We read that voice during our prayerful reflection on God’s Word in Scripture. It speaks to us during Public Worship. It ministers in our conscience when we are alone, or out and about in our daily lives. 
 
Because that first voice is gentle and simple, we tend to ignore it. We, like Prophet Elijah, think that God would have to be in the thundering wind and speak in a loud and magical voice. Yet God was found in the quiet (1 Kings 19:11-13); the quiet of our soul where God speaks with that gentle voice, “My child follow this way. Follow me.” Great are those who pay attention and follow that first voice. They do incredibly great. That is one of the secrets of greatness—Listen to the first voice.  
 
Today, we celebrate the life and witness of the Apostle, Saint Andrew. He was the brother of Saint Peter and always mentioned fourth on the list of the apostles. Not much was written in Scripture about him except his call (Mt 4:18-20; Lk 5:11; Mk 1:17-18); his name as one of the twelve apostles (Mt 10:2-4); the role he played during the feeding of the five thousand when he pointed to Jesus that there is a boy who has five loaves and two fish (Jn 6:8-9); and the fact that he was a disciple of John the Baptist and followed Jesus at the Baptist’s testimony (Jn 1:35-40). 
 
Yet from the scanty story, one could infer how he was a person who listened to that first voice of God calling. When the Lord walked by the sea of Galilea and invited him and Peter to follow him, Scripture says, they left everything and followed the Lord (Mt 4:18-20).
 
How refreshing it is to read such a story of unreserved faith and discipleship. Saint Andrew listened to the first voice of God calling him. He is a man of faith. 
 
Leaving everything and following the Lord isn’t an easy thing to do. It’s like giving the Lord all you are and all you have. It is total surrender to the will of God in your life. It is a true testimony of spiritual greatness. 
 
In our life, how do we leave what we must in order for the Lord to lead us? Most of all, could we leave our comfort zone and step into the deep, of faith life? 
 
Remember that first voice in your life, each day, each week, each month, etc. Follow that voice of conscience that springs from the Lord’s inspiration to do good and to be a blessing unto others and a source of inspiration. The more you follow that voice, the greater you grow in your spiritual life, and in blessings too. 
 
Praying that we open our eyes to see God’s plan and purposes in our everyday life. Amen. 
 
God love you. God bless you. 
 
 
[November 30, Feast of Saint Andrew: Rm 10:9-18; Mt 4:18-22]
 
 

Grace to you!
 
Anyone who is skilled in awareness has to be self-aware, aware of others and aware of the environment in which the person lives. These three are basic leadership principles of emotional intelligence.
 
Self-awareness equips us to know ourselves—our strengths and weaknesses, what excites us and our proclivities. Such awareness enables us to know how to make better decisions, live well and prepare for the future. 
 
Awareness of others helps us to step outside of ourselves. We consider what others bring or not bring in any circumstance or relationship. It is, as much as is possible, trying to understand others from their point of view. This knowledge enhances relationships. We know our limits and, possibly, those of others with whom we relate. Perhaps, we familiarize with how best to deal with the limits.
 
Awareness of the environment is key to appreciating what is happening around us and seeing how we fit in the entire interaction. We realize that we are just one among numerous others and that there are many things we can’t control. It’s humbling. It’s also vital for growth in dealing with issues in the wider society and cultures in which we live. 
 
These skills are crucial in the spiritual life also. A spiritually vigilant person is one who is able to be self-aware, aware of others, and aware of the environment in which he or she lives. 
 
In our Catholic Christian tradition, such an awareness is granted to us by God’s grace and our corporation with that grace. We become better aware of the spiritual realities and many things beyond and around us when we are immersed in the light of faith. Seeing things in the light of divine will is an excellent way of knowing life and other realities. 
 
In the eyes of God, nothing is hidden. Everything is clear and well known, from our personal life to the wider society (cf. Heb 4:13; Lk 8:17; Prov 15:3; Ps 139:1-4). So, the best Christian way of self-awareness, awareness of others and awareness of the environment, is allowing the life of God to live in us. It is allowing God’s grace to orient our ways of life and knowing. 
 
Since with God all things are self-evident, all who live in the state of the life of God, what we (in our Catholic spiritual tradition) call the state of grace, are beautifully, spiritually aware. They do not need special courses on spiritual vigilance. 
 
So, spiritual vigilance is being in that state of life that God wishes us to be. It is being at our duty post. It is doing the will of God. It is being in the state of grace. 
 
When the Lord speaks to us about the End Time and the need to be watchful (Lk 21:34-36), he asks us to be vigilant. He inspires us not to be consumed by the cares of this life and lose sight of his will. You know how we easily get consumed with things. It could be with our vision or passion in life. It could be with our friends. It could equally be due to the spirit of the age that bombards us with distracting ideas. It could be from the internet with its addictive lures, etc. We get so absorbed, consumed and anxious. Our spiritual energy is sapped. The Lord wants us to be vigilant. Our safest haven is the Lord and doing his will.  
 
Be vigilant. This vigilance isn’t only about the End Time. In fact, we do not need to be consumed by the End Time prophesies, ignoring what is happening right now. The best response to the End Time is to do what the Lord asks of us now. That is, doing the will of God in our everyday life; being in the state of grace. Such is the best spiritual awareness. Such is Spiritual Vigilance 101. It is less stressful to do so. 
 
By grace, let’s keep doing the will of God in our everyday life. Such is the best spiritual vigilance. 
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 
 
 
[Saturday Week 34 Ordinary Time: Rev 22:1-7; Lk 21:34-36]

Grace to you!
 
The persecutions we face in life are an opportunity to bear witness to the love of God. Trials are like an ingredient to spiritual maturity and blessing. Our Lord assures of the blessings of those persecuted for what is right (Mt 5:10). Or as Saint Peter says, one is blessed who is enduring trails for the sake of Christ (1 Pet 4:14). Meaning, for doing good not evil. 
 
Be certain of this: Many of those who persecute you would hardly be deterred because you pay them in the same coin. One of the strongest weapons against evil is innocence, righteousness, the very opposite of evil. At the alone-moments, it is the force of your innocence and gentility that speaks volumes; sometimes daring the meanness of the mean. Evil isn’t overcome by evil but by the good.  
 
Innocence has its force of witnessing. The innocence of the believer comes with the audacity of genuine witnessing. This may sound like an out-of-dated message. Yet, it is powerful and still relevant today. 
 
When the African theologian of the second century, Tertullian, said that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church,” it could equally be understood in the sense of the impact of their holy witness through martyrdom to eyewitnesses and generations after them. When people read the martyrs’ stories, they are gripped by their innocence, genuineness, gentleness and yet audacious testimony of their life about the faith. 
 
The historian Tacitus, who was a boy in Rome during the time of the Nero persecution, wrote in his Annals(XV, 44) how the innocence of the believers, accused falsely by Nero, won the compassion of some Romans. The joy, gentleness and courage of the believers in the face of their heartless persecutors, spoke volumes as to the audacity of their faith in the Risen Lord. 
 
In workplaces, in the community, ironically in churches and homes, many face trials because of their faith. Simply being good and faithful believers irk some people. It is the reality of the world we are in, and nobody can change that. We simply have to live with this reality and make the best out of it; relying on the grace of God. So, the answer to meanness is a gentle, courageous response of love.
 
Recall that one of the meanings of martyrdom in the New Testament is bearing witness (see Acts 22:15, 20). So the Lord said, “But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be a time for you to bear testimony” (Luke 21:12-13). 
 
Come to think of it, times of persecution are great times of witnessing. It’s not simply for the End Time, which we know not exactly when it will be, but even for now as we face the ups and downs of Christian discipleship. 
 
Bearing witness to the Risen Lord entails a lot, including swimming against the current. Swimming against the current is, unwittingly, inviting attacks and persecutions, name-calling and smearing. 
 
The nature of the Christian life doesn’t seem to play to the gallery. Yet, it inspires many lives. 
 
May God give us the grace to hold on to the faith even when it costs us what is precious to us, including our lives. Amen.
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu.
 
[Wednesday Week 34 Ordinary Time: Rev 14:14-19; Lk 21:5-11]
 
 
 
 
 

 
Grace to you!
 
When I was a kid, I used to play soccer. I wasn’t a great player, though, but I enjoyed it anyway. At a time, when I was in elementary school, I used to be a goalie (goalkeeper). I learned from my coach that regarding penalty shootout or corner kicks, the goalie must keep an eye on the ball, not on the player. 
 
The most effective goalies keep an eye on the ball. They may know about the players and their different styles of play. Nonetheless, when it comes to actual goalkeeping, they must follow the ball. There is wisdom in that coaching tactic. 
 
Keeping an eye on the ball assures the goalie isn’t distracted by the crafty displays of the player to confuse the goalkeeper. Sneaky players would show deceptive body movements so as to trick the goalkeeper and shoot the ball in another direction. 
 
The above analogy may be appropriate to the teachings of the Lord in Luke 21:5-11. The teaching concerns predictions about the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple and the end times. Though I had reflected on some perspectives about the text in the past, I would want to add the need for a secure anchor, or rather, to keep an eye on the ball. 
 
The Lord Jesus Christ gives us signs that may precede the end. The text of our consideration today Luke 21:9-10) has three of those signs. They include the reality of false prophets and the antichrist(s), heightened war and violence, and natural disasters of a shattering nature —“great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences” (vs.10). 
 
Nevertheless, he warned against deceivers. I take that warning seriously. 
 
If we were to apply the analogy I used above, I would be a tactful goalkeeper by keeping an eye on the ball. I should have an anchor I hold onto in such a way that nothing would take my gaze off the ball, or make me confused about the goal. 
 
The Letter to the Hebrews writing about the object of our faith speaks about this anchorage: Keep an eye on Jesus, the author and the perfecter of our faith (see 12:2). 
 
And the Lord Jesus encouraged the disciples, as he warns us not to be deceived: “Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.” (Luke 21:8)
 
If Jesus Christ is with us, the storms and the signs (though terrible and unpredictable) would not affect our peace. Peace is assured. Christ is our peace. 
 
I pray we keep holding onto Christ, the author and the finisher of our faith. Amen
 
God love you. God bless you. 
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
[Tuesday Week 34 Ordinary Time: Rev 14:14-19; Lk 21:5-11]
 

Grace to you!
 
After a funeral of a prominent member of one community, a young man approached the priest who presided the funeral. “Is resurrection real?” he asked. 
 
The priest looked him in the eye. “Surely it is.” 
 
The young man’s skepticism was evident. “What if resurrection is a hoax?”
 
With a smile the priest retorted, “What if it is true?” Jokingly he continued, “When I die, I would look down from heaven to see you….” 
 
“Heaven is for real, my friend,” the priest quipped, offering him a handshake. 
 
Far back during biblical times, a group among the Jews, the Sadducees, didn’t believe in the resurrection, just as many today don’t. The Gospel of Luke 20:27-38 presents a scene, a dialogue between the Sadducees and Jesus. It’s like a plot between the so-called elitists’ class and the itinerant preacher (Jesus), whom they believed was naïve, laid-back and uninformed. For them, belief in the resurrection was pious baloney. 
 
To be clear, the Sadducees accepted only the Pentateuch, also called the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) as the revealed word of God with normative value, and regarded the rest of the Old Testament as mere religious sentiments. They belonged to the wealthy and elitist class. Ironically, the Chief Priest was often a Sadducee. 
 
Deep in materialistic worldview, the traditional thesis of retribution which promoted the idea that material poverty is a curse and wealth is a sign of divine endorsement, was their creedal mantra. For them, life is about being prosperous, marrying, partying and making merry. Death is the end of the story and nothing happens after death. 
 
For them, being religious is your effort to earn God’s blessing of material prosperity, which often included marrying the best women of your choice and having a great family. Life after death was not an issue because, for them, it never existed. 
 
Doesn’t this belief sound familiar? Nothing is new under the sun. As Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen wrote, it’s all “old errors, and new label.” 
 
Thus when the Sadducees came to Jesus, they wanted to make a fool of this so-called preacher who was beginning to influence the people more than they could imagine. Remember, the Sadducees and their materialistic views were very attractive to the people. Because they were the elites, they made the rules and controlled the government. Their strong ties in politics and other cultures around them, including the Roman and the Greek (Hellenism), were such that they wanted to maintain a more Hellenistic way of life, which was extremely materialistic. It is, in part, why the Pharisees were their worst critics. So, the influence of Jesus was a threat. They must outsmart him and make him look stupid before his “fans.” 
 
Hence they asked: If resurrection were real, whose wife would a woman be at the resurrection having been married to seven husbands that passed respectively? (Lk 20:33). Ridiculous question. Isn’t it? 
 
The Lord Jesus, the master of the Pentateuch used the very words of Moses, whom the Sadducees upheld as their mentor, to say, “But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him (Luke 20:37-38).” 
 
Before then, Jesus reminded them, and he reminds any who doubts the resurrection: “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection” (Luke 20:35-36).
 
As Saint Paul wrote: “If the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either” (I Cor 15:16). 
 
Thank God Christ is raised; and we who believe will be raised too, by God’s grace. This is our hope and our prayer. Amen. 
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
[Saturday 33rdWeek Ordinary Time B: Rec 11:4-12; Lk 20:27-40]
 

Grace to you!
 
You are probably familiar with the structure of the temple in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus. The humongous architectural masterpiece situated on top of Mount Zion covered about thirty acres of land. Apart from the Holy of Holies at the center of the temple with high separating walls, where only the high priest could enter once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the other part of the temple (the temple precincts) has four courts—the court of priests, the court of Israelites, the court of women and the court of the gentiles, respectively. 
 
The outermost court is the court of the gentiles where gentile converts to Judaism were allowed to worship. It is also at this court of the gentiles that animals (thousands of them) used for sacrifices at the temple were inspected and bought. No one was allowed to bring an uninspected animal for worship. 
 
Because of the nature of the exchanges going on, the court of the gentiles, which was also part of the temple, was always noisy during temple worship. You can compare the commotion to a bazaar sales event. It was also at this court of the gentiles that Jesus stood and cleansed the temple. 
 
Jesus took the ownership of the temple personally, calling it “my house…” (Read the entire story in Luke 19:45-48). The outermost court, which was not even close to the Holy of Holies or the inner courts because there was a big wall separating them, was considered “my house” by Jesus. This shows how important every aspect of the house of God is to the Lord. 
 
What the temple in Jerusalem was to the Jews, is what the church is for us Christians. The church is set apart, consecrated, made holy for the Lord. God owns it. The community may have fundraised for its building and built it. The bishop may have blessed and dedicated it. Nonetheless, the church is dedicated to God. It is God’s special and sacred “living room.” 
 
One may say, but God is everywhere. Certainly, but Jesus shows us that the place set apart for worship is unique. He takes it personally. Consider a church where the Lord is present in the Most Blessed Sacrament or during the Eucharistic Celebration; it changes the whole dynamics. 
 
The church isn’t a theater or a showroom or even a state of the art auditorium. The church is set apart and the architecture is set apart too. 
 
The Lord tells us the essence of having a church. It is a house of prayer for all people (Is 56:7; Mt 21:13; Lk 19:46). It is a sacred place where anyone can come and pray. As a community of faith, the church is a sacred space for our community prayer and sacred worship of the Holy God. 
 
Hence, our attitude in church should be different from our attitude elsewhere, shouldn’t it? Ranging from dress code to exchanging pleasantries, comportment, etc., shouldn’t we show more reverence when we are in the house of God? 
 
The house of prayer for all should be a safe, quiet place where anytime it is open, anyone could come in and not be distracted by loud jokes, immodest dressing, and free-for-all socializing, which we see in many churches these days. 
 
It is wonderful to come in silently into a church and feel the peace inside and have time to commune with God. It is beautiful to see those icons, stained glass and the Tabernacle Light, reminding us Jesus is here. It’s actually different to perceive the peace that God brings when we seat, stand, kneel or prostrate quietly in God’s house, contemplating his glory. 
 
Have you ever gone inside a church when no one was there? You will feel the deep solitude while you seat or kneel in prayerful quiet before the Lord. It is a wonderful, healing and calming spiritual experience. 
 
May God give us the grace to show more reverence when we are in the church and during worship. Amen May we reap from the blessings of solitude. Amen. 
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
 
[Friday Week 33 Ordinary Time: Rev 10: 8-11; Lk 19:45-48]