Grace to you! 
 
One Saturday evening, a priest (who wasn’t in cassock or Roman collar; hence, unnoticed) overheard a conversation between two people over a dinner table in a restaurant. They had just come from Mass and were musing how the celebration went—the homily, and the decorum of the priest during Mass. They were comparing the priest’s message and comportment with their pastor’s. 
 
In their opinion, the priest didn't show signs of reverence during the Mass. There was no passion in his voice as he delivered the homily which, according to them, had no theological and pastoral substance. All they remembered were tips about the priest’s travel galore, and the names of the best restaurants in Spain. One remarked, “The priest isn’t as passionate about the faith as their pastor is.” 
 
How people often assess priests after Mass. 
 
Passion. This word, though easily misunderstood and misapplied, is needed in the context of the ministry. The passion for souls is what we know in our traditional Catholic spirituality as apostolic fervor or pastoral fervor as it relates to pastoral ministry in general. It is that fervor to teach the truth of the gospel without fear or favor, knowing that one of the best ways to help people out of moral impoverishment is to educate them in the ways of the Lord. Knowledge is power. The knowledge of God is like spiritual dynamite shattering the walls of evil and deceitful attachments. 
 
Pastoral fervor is equally the passion to lead in the Church following the example of Christ, the Good Shepherd. It is being primarily driven by the desire to serve and not to be served; and being concerned with the welfare of God’s people. 
 
Saint Paul is one of the apostles and disciples whose apostolic fervor that God's people may know the truth that sets free is obvious. In 2 Corinthians 11:1-11, we hear him concerned that heresy could be introduced in the Corinthian Church. As a passionate pastor, he knew the harm false teaching could cause in the Church. Hence, he warns Christians, reminding them not to believe any other gospel but the saving truth of Christ. 
 
So that financial concerns wouldn't deter him from the Christocentric (Christ-centered) focus of his teaching, Saint Paul didn't burden the believers with his household needs. He was an apostle with both apostolic fervor and right judgment. If material concerns detracted from the gospel, it wasn’t worth fighting for. 
 
While, as we reflected yesterday, the temporal needs of the church must be met, may it not be a distraction from the care for souls. After all is said and done, what Jesus would ask of us on the last day isn't how we were materially fed or how good our financial balance sheet was. These are important only as means to the ultimate mission—care for souls and salvation.
 
Praying for true apostolic fervor. Amen 
 
God love you. God bless you. 
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 
 
 
[Thursday Week 11: 2 Cor 11:1-11; Mt 6:7-15]

Grace to you!
 
One of the ways to discern the value of human action arises from the question, why. Why do I do what I do? 
 
When Saint Brigid gave out all she had to live on, including her last inheritance of a golden sword, the king of Sweden couldn't understand her action until he found out why she did what she did? Actions could easily be misdirected if the why of the action isn't well thought out. 
 
One of the lessons of the Sermon of the Mount is the Lord evaluating the religious and moral codes of Moses on the basis of why, as well as teaching us why we practice any of the religious works. You may read Matthew 6 for some instances. If one understood why, it helps the person to act with a better disposition and, probably, right intention. Also, it helps one put in one’s best in making those sacrifices. 
 
For instance, why do we give alms? True Christian almsgiving isn't an extension of the narcissism or the ego campaign. It isn’t so others will sing our praises. It isn’t a show of philanthropy. We don’t want the reward of our sacrifices to be the praises of people. 
 
Our almsgiving as believers is first and foremost to give glory to God who has blessed us so as to bless others. It is to unite in making the world a better place. In humble practice of almsgiving, we receive divine endorsement.
 
The Lord tells: “When you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Mt 6:3-4). 
 
Hence, if all our good works, fasting, prayers and almsgiving are for the glory of God and the salvation of others, putting smile on the faces of others, the good of God's people, etc., the reward is unequalled. A pure disposition as these, changes the dynamics of our giving, inspiring us to put forward our best. Perhaps, it helps us to sow bountifully through the generosity of our time, talent and treasure. Such the Lord delights in. Such is in line with a heavenly-inspired decision and action. 
 
Praying that God would give us the grace of purity of heart and intention as we make sacrifices for others. Amen. 
 
God love you. God bless you. 
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 
 
[Wednesday Week 11: 2 Cor 9:6-11; Mt 6:1-6, 16-18]

Grace to you! 
 
Christian spiritual life, new life in Christ, could be a scary experience. It’s a unique kind of love relationship that continues to draw us in, until we willingly submit our will to the Will of Christ, our Lord and Lover, by his grace. For many, this experience, though a hub of inner peace and joy, is a sort of dark night. 
 
Many people resist love because of fear of being raised so high and left to crash from the pinnacle of love to the darkness of abandonment. In the case of our love relationship with God, never would He abandon us. There may be dark night experiences, yet God’s love for us endures. 
 
Reading the life of the Saints, one observes how gradually, wittingly or unwittingly, they could be rightly called “fools for Christ” (1 Cor 4:10). When the saints give themselves to service of others, or when they surrender themselves completely in the immersion of divine contemplation and what it brings, they seem different in comparison to popular views. Their ways seem different. 
 
For instance, ponder the responsibilities Jesus sets for the believer in Matthew 5:43-48; asking us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Barely a few would consider you wise if you look someone who openly works against your success or maligns you in the eye and say to the person; "I forgive you and pray for your blessings." Or if you propose the same grace to someone who is violent against you or your loved one. This sounds foolish. 
 
When Saint Maria Goretti suffered the despicable brutality of abuse and was murdered in the process, she interceded to the Lord in favor of her abuser; asking that he be forgiven and converted. She also wished to see the abuser in heaven. I doubt if I were God, I would agree to her request or if I were her, I would say such a prayer. It was this heroic act of virtue that makes the saints different. Set apart—Holy. 
 
From the Lord, we hear this powerful word: “Be perfect [in your love for all as the context suggests] as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Mtt 5:48). This love is capable of reorienting the ego, nourishing us to think and act not only for ourselves, but also for others. Such is agape. 
 
From Saint Paul we also hear: “Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in utterance, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in your love for us—see that you excel in this gracious works also (2 Cor 8:7).” The gracious act he was referring to is almsgiving, generosity. This too goes contra to our ego, demanding we live not only for ourselves, but also for the Lord and for others. Such is agape expressed in action. 
 
You see how important it is we make offerings for the saints? Those collection boxes in our churches are not simply for the bills of the church (they should be paid), they are actually an opportunity for us to grow in spiritual fervor. Offerings in our churches and gifts for the needy aren't footnotes in the work of faith. They are integral parts of our life as Christians. 
 
May we embrace almsgiving and Christian generosity with the same expectant joy as the practice of other virtues. Almsgiving is a fantastic opportunity of grace. “Give and there will be gifts for you” so says the Lord (Lk 6:38). 
 
Praying that we excel in this gracious work of almsgiving which flows from charity. Amen. 
 
God love you. God bless you. 
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 
 
[Tuesday Week 11: 2 Cor 8:1-9; Mt 5: 43-48]

Grace to you!
 
Since last week, we have been walking with Saint Paul as he teaches divine truths to the people of Corinth. Many of his audiences at the time, based on biblical history, were worldly-minded. He set out to communicate to them the excellence of Christian glory. Perhaps, the spiritual and moral state of our world today isn’t different from the Corinthians to whom Saint Paul wrote. Nothing is new under the sun. So, in such a world as ours, what splendor are believers bringing if they are indeed of Christ? 
 
Is it the feisty, excessive ambitious ego which cares less about the common good or the good of the other person? Is it self-absorbing narcissism where what matters is me and my world only? Is it an eye-for-an-eye behavior that neither gives room for repentance and forgiveness nor reconciliation? Are they obscenity and sensationalism that ignore ethics and truth; mean-spirited and ungracious tweets, social media comments, blogs and posts marked by name-calling and vitriol? Is it championing fake news and becoming witting or unwitting promoters of rumormongering? Or are we to swim against the currents because we are truly alive and are aware of the harm any of the above examples does to humanity? 
 
Are we to mirror the worldly because it is more glamorous or the heavenly, the Christ, though what it entails isn’t popular? The glory we bear, Christ the Lord, makes us look like the forgotten, the unimportant, the slighted and the completely ignored. Yet in those situations we become what the world desires. Though the worldly-minded look in the wrong direction, their inner being continually long for what that worldly can’t offer. Though those whose minds are centered on what grants instant and immediate gratification seem less concerned about the transcendent and generous service, they are still searching. Many people desire to witness the glory, though they may look for it in the wrong direction. 
 
Ours is the time of salvation (2 Cor 6: 6:2). Christ has come and lives on in his Church. Christ lives on in us through his word and the Sacraments until the time when he will come again in final glory. This news, reality, is an invitation to all to embrace the life that is heavenly, the force of which brings the fulfillment many long. It is the life of glory. 
 
Don't these words of Scripture speak to you, at least sometimes, if not many times: "We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything" ( 2 Cor 6:8-10)? 
 
The paradox of being a Christian is that we are like the light that shines, but never noticed. The light is taken for granted unless there were blackouts with their terrifying darkness. Our glory, the Christian glory—Christ, though contrary to the worldly, makes the world the heavenly. Saint Paul says, “One in Christ is a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17). You’re blessed to be one indeed. 
 
Praying that we see the freshness and glory of being in and like Christ, the true peace of troubled peoples and troubled hearts. Amen. 
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 
 
[Monday Week 11 A: 2 Cor 6:1-10; Mt 5:38-43]

Grace to you and Happy Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity! 

The doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity is “the central mystery of Christian faith and life” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 234). It is the doctrine that God is three persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—and one substance (nature). It is the highest doctrine of our faith. In this truth we are baptized (Mt 28:19). Today, inspired by this doctrine, I reflect on the blessing of relationships of love. 

God reveals Godself to us creatures. God does not do so in solitary individualism but in a communion of love and sharing. “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). We come to know who God is in the possible way we humans can grasp with our limited ways of knowing, through God’s revelations to us. And God’s revelations to us, in history as we read through Scripture and in the mysteries of faith we celebrate, is in relationships. Thus, a Christian called to be like God (Matthew 5:48) rejects the temptation to self-absorbing isolationism. To be like God, we have to open our hearts and alms to relationships. We have to love. We have to embrace communion. 

Agape love, that distinctive sacrificial love which Christians should emulate from our Lord Jesus Christ, requires three – I, God and you (another). We love ourselves better in the love of God. Our love for one another is made holy and blessed even more in the love of God too. God’s love is the sweet anointing, rejuvenating our love of self and others. In it, we flourish and are most blessed. 

We are made in God’s image and likeness. Just as God is God in a Trinitarian relationship, so we can be fully human in relationships. The self needs to be in a horizontal relationship with others and a vertical relationship with God. By so doing, our life becomes Trinitarian like that of God. Then we discover that the so-called “I-and-I” principle of unbridled individualism, which some people live by, leaves much to be desired. If you need a proof of how terrible unbridled individualism could be, see the pains of the health condition of severe depression. No one wants that in one’s life. Depression forces its victims to be excluded and avoid relationships. We pray for healing for those suffering from depression. Amen. 

The doctrine of the Blessed Trinity challenges us to adopt rather an I-and-God-and-neighbor principle. By so doing, our entire life becomes a pleasant orbit around God at the center (core) with the warmth of relationships with others. The I-alonismor the me-me syndromedoes not assure us of a long-lasting future. I am a Christian insofar as I live in a relationship of love with God and other people. Actually, this is socially healthier than exclusive individualism. 

You may have heard about a 75-year research on real people on what keeps people happy and healthy. The research is considered the longest ever conducted by Harvard University. It is still ongoing as of today. The current director of that research, psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, a few years ago shared some of the results. Based on the findings, he claimed that people who build relationships and keep relationships tend to live happier and longer. Loners tend to die earlier and are unhappy. 

I would guess you want to live long and be the best you have been created to be. Tap from the lessons of the Trinity. Relationships are the key to happiness. The finer the relationships, the better. What could be better than building our spiritual core while connecting with our neighbor?

May the grace of the Holy Trinity help us to live in love of God and of neighbor and by so doing overcome self-centeredness. United with Saint Paul, I pray for you: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you” (2 Cor 13:14). Amen. 

God love you. God bless you.

Fr. Maurice Emelu
​
[Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Readings: Prov. 8:22-31; Rm 5:1-5; Jn 16:12-15]

Grace to you!
 
One of the results of the revelation of God through us who are born in Christ is that we become agents of divine reconciliation. This is spurred by the love of Christ. As Saint Paul says, "the love of Christ urges us on" (2 Cor 5:14).
 
For that love, we open our hearts to love the unlovable, and our hands with the palms of peace. 
 
Reconciliation is both horizontal and vertical. It flows from Christ to us and from us to others, building a web of sons and daughters who are born of God in Christ. 
 
If, as a believer, you look around your house, your street, your neighborhood and the wider society, and you don't feel a burden to be an agent of peace and reconciliation in your own little way, you may not have realized this crucial aspect of your call as a believer. 
 
It is not because of social justice that we want a just world, but because of a just and loving God that we are obligated to fight for social justice. Our active involvement in social justice is equally inspired by our true love for one another—we’re brothers and sisters. It isn’t about good PR. It isn’t about showing off a posture of moral superiority or a façade of social responsibility. It is because we want to love as we are loved in our Creator. We walk in the footsteps of Christ. We believe in true love of one another. 
 
For instance, as a Catholic coming out of the confessional, that sacrament of reconciliation, aren't you inspired to be an instrument of reconciliation yourself? If we hear those words from the Lord, “I forgive you,” aren’t we to speak the same words to others who offended us? 
 
A man who avoided going to Confession shared how he discovered inner peace. “At the confessional,” he said, “I was reminded through the clear voice of conscience that I too should bring others to my reconciled heart.” For years, he avoided Confession because he was not ready to forgive some people who terribly hurt him. This deprived him of inner peace. After many years of painful struggles with the inner voice, he finally decided to get back to true reconciliation sacrament. He made the best confession of his life. And having being fully reconciled, he became an activist of true reconciliation for others. “The peace I feel within is unrivaled,” he said. 
 
Once healed, aren't we to facilitate the healing of our brothers and sisters who are living under the shackles of division, resentment, hate, unforgiveness and social injustice? Aren’t we called to be agents of divine reconciliation, to make the world a garden of reconciled and forgiving persons? More blessed is the heart that loves and forgives than the heart that is pregnant with bitter resentment and hate.  
 
Shout it out, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation" (2 Cor 17-19). 
 
If you are hurting, prayers offered for healing. If you are causing others pain, prayers for repentance. For both, prayers for a loving and reconciling heart. Amen
 
God love you. God bless you. 
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
[Saturday Week 10 A:  2 Cor 5:14-21; Mt 5:33-37]

Grace to you! 
 
Have you observed the hatching of a bird’s egg? You see how the shell begins to crack, dismember and give way for the beautiful chick to appear.  
 
The chick picks her way and staggers, swinging like a jet without balance. In a few hours, she hops; and within days, she begins to run and playfully fly. The flying stage is her mature state, its fruition. 
 
The above analogy comes to my mind as I reflect on 2 Cor 4: 7-12, a text that reminds us that we are a treasure in eastern vessels. As Christ is glory and believers are disciples of his glory, we realize that the “cracking experiences” must precede the fruition of this glory. It’s comparable to the cracking of the egg in order for the chick to live and mature. They are the sacrifices, setbacks, challenges and sufferings necessary for glory. 
 
Saint Paul describes some nature of the cracking, the sacrifice that must take place: Afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, struck down, "always carrying in the body the death of Jesus Christ...” (2 Cor 4:10). 
 
“Always carrying in the body the death of Jesus Christ” doesn’t sound like a temporary sacrifice. It shows that sacrifices and suffering are integral aspects of the Christian life. But this is not the end of the story because it's through these that "the life of Jesus will be manifested in our bodies" (2 Cor 4:10). 
 
Hence, are the demands of the gospel, such as fidelity in marriage, sanctity of the conjugal union—"love until death do us part," as the Lord pointed in Matthew 15: 27-32—too contra-cultural? Are there other aspects of the Christian life which bring us on our knees asking for grace of courage to endure? 
 
Be encouraged because the blessings of the heavenly gift of love flow from the sacrifice of that love. True love entails sacrificing for one another. Perfect love on earth is perfect sacrifice. It’s only in heaven that perfect love exists without any more sacrifice. Until then, here on earth isn’t a smooth road. 
 
Are you afflicted, perplexed, persecuted and maligned because of your faith? Know that God isn’t going to let you down. Instead, through those trials and sacrifices, many will see the glory revealed overtime. Your sacrifices have merits for you and for many. They’re a way to glory. 
 
Praying that God’s grace will constantly abide with you during challenging and trying times. Amen. 

God love you. God bless you.

​Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
[Friday Week 10 A: 2 Cor 4:4-15; Mt 5:27-32]