Grace to you!
 
All around us, we make choices, don't we? We choose our home, our car, our food, and the movies we see. Not all these choices turn out as expected, yet we wanted them anyway.
 
For instance, one may not understand the importance of choosing a comfortable shoe until one wears a pair of shoes that hurt. The shoes may look fancy and beautiful, but they are heavy and improperly aligned. Because of the look, some may prefer them to a more comfortable, though less lavish shoe. The choice for the fancy over the suitable has consequences.  
 
In nature, every choice we make has implications—good, bad, and ugly. It's how God has made nature. God desires us to choose from the abundance of his blessings in the world.
 
Scripture emphasizes this truth: “If you will, you can keep the commandments, and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice. He has placed before you fire and water: stretch out your hand for whichever you wish. Before a man are life and death, and whichever he chooses will be given to him” (Sirach 15:15-17). The Lord Jesus himself said about the Torah and the Prophets, "I have not come to abolish…but to fulfill" (Mt 5:17). He then gave us higher standards for life and asked us to make tough choices rooted in love of God and love of neighbor. 
 
Some may say, why would there be many choices for us? Why would God allow evil amidst the good, making the decision more difficult?
 
My response, permit me, is in the form of a question: Why freedom? Why the right to choose if there is only one thing from which one can choose? The concept of choice would be ridiculous if there were no alternatives on the list.
 
Moreover, the beauty of being human is that we can choose. 
 
In nature, God has inscribed the Law, and through Divine Revelation, he has shown us the good to choose and the evil to avoid. Not only did God do it on the tablet of stone in the Old Testament, but Christ also came in-person to reveal what real life in God is and what it entails.
 
God put in our souls the seed of his awareness, his voice, and that of morality, conscience, so we can choose what is good and avoid what is evil. His love, life in Christ, is poured into our hearts through the Spirit (Rm 5:5). It enables us to desire what the Spirit of the Law Giver is, both within and outside of us. 
 
When God created us, he looked at all he made, and "it was very good." Meaning, the best possible world ever to be made has been made by God. Creation and the complexity of the moral law follow the laws set by the Creator. God has inscribed the laws and their accompanying reward in nature. We receive what we choose.
 
When the law in our hearts responds positively to the law of God, there is a sort of holy marriage within us. In such is living according to the Spirit of the Law. There is joy and true, transforming freedom. However, when there is a disconnect between the law within and the law outside of us, spiritual conflicts arise. Those conflicts reverberate.  
 
Heaven is where the law within and the law outside finally become one, as designed from the beginning. Hell is where the separation reaches untold, unbearable proportions of conflict and pain.
 
May God give us the grace to choose wisely, all the time. Amen. 
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 
 
[6th Sunday A: Sir 15:15-20; 1 Cor 2:6-10; Mt 5:17-31 or 5:20-22A, 27-28, 33-34A, 37]

Photo Moses by Dimitri Conejo Sanz, Cathopic.com
 

Grace to you!
 
In his second encyclical, Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy), published 30 November 1980, Pope John Paul II writes of the incredible mercy and compassion of God. He reminds us that God is rich in mercy. 
 
God's compassion reaches out to people as a group and as individuals. It is the mercy of God that draws us to repentance because we know the Lord is already inviting us to His mercy.
 
As the Lord Jesus went about preaching, healing, and doing good, he wasn't caught in the euphoria of popularity and large followership. He does all things well. His heart of mercy and compassion flows like a river towards those in need, just like God the Father seeks out those who are in need.
 
The Lord noticed that the multitude was hungry. Having fed them with the word, he wanted to be sure they weren't starving. The Lord didn't merely wish that they get food. He did all he could to feed them (Mk 8:1-3).
 
Great lesson for us today. As we preach God's Word, do we also notice the social needs of the people? A hungry person, they say, is an angry person. The Gospel should also inspire us to seek out and help those in need. It is a crucial aspect of the Gospel we preach.
 
Notice the Lord did the miracle from what the people have. We won't wait until we become billionaires before we help the less privileged among us. What is that dime, that bread, that fish, that extra we have, that little thing you have? It can go a long way. Going the extra mile to help the poor is the way of the Lord. Graciously offer what you have for someone who needs it the most. Sharing what we have, no matter how small, is a blessing.
 
There is a deeper spiritual meaning to the miracle of the feeding of the four thousand. At the Eucharistic celebration, during the "Presentation of the Gifts," the presiding priest prays: “Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness, we have this bread to offer, which earth has given and human hands have made. It will become for us the bread of life." He says a similar prayer regarding the wine, and the congregation responds, "Blessed be God forever."  
 
We bring gifts to the altar. Those gifts are fruits of our hands. They grew from our farms or are bought by us. They are symbolic of what we bring alongside ourselves to the Lord for the offering. The gifts are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. 
 
The Lord feeds us with himself. The miracle of the feeding of the four thousand, just like the feeding of the five thousand, is symbolic. It points to many who will be refreshed and nourished by the Eucharist. We come to Jesus in the Eucharist and receive life to the fullest.
 
The Lord says: “Unless you eat of the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you will not have life within you” (Jn 6:53).
 
I pray for a more profound love for the Eucharist. I also pray for a firm commitment to service and help for the poor in our midst. Amen.
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 
 
[Saturday Week 5 A: 1 Kgs12:26-32; 13:33-34; Mk 8:1-10]

Photo source: Dimitri Conejo Sanz. Cathopic.com  

Grace to you!
 
Prophetic ministry is the ministry of the Word. The prophet is the one who proclaims God's word. For the prophet to proclaim the Word, the person has to hear the Word also. As Saints Peter and John declared before the rulers and teachers of the law in Jerusalem, "we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).
 
When someone bares bold witness to the Lord, it is probably because the person has heard and seen and can speak. The audacity of faith life is well and alive in the person who has listened to and embraced God's word.
 
One of the moving moments during the ordination of deacons, in our Catholic tradition, is right after their anointing. The bishop places the Book of the Gospel in the hands of the newly ordained. He says as he does so: "Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach."
 
Believing (faith) comes from hearing (Rm 10:17). It's vital to hear. It's critical to read God's Word in Scripture, too. St. Jerome was on the mark when he said, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ."
 
Consider a situation where one cannot hear? By that, I mean a situation where God's word isn't communicated and received. It must be a challenge to speak also because one does not confidently talk of what one does not know.
 
In the Gospel of Mark 7:31-37, the Lord goes to the region of the ten cities (Decapolis). The people brought him a deaf man who had speech impediments. The gesture of the people was an example of a good support system from the community. They saw a need and were able to accompany the needy to find help in the Lord.
 
Scripture gives a clear picture of the Lord's action to heal. He put his finger into the man's ears and, spitting, touched his tongue. Then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, "Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!"). And immediately the man's ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly" (Mk 7:31-37).
 
The Lord's action reminds me of God's creative work in the second account of creation in Genesis 2:7. There God breathed on the man created from dust, and he became a living being.
 
Through this miracle of the healing of the deaf and dumb, the Lord reveals the connection between him and the Father. The Lord Jesus does all things well, including doing miracles of healing and numerous nature miracles. He does so in your life too if you believe. The Lord also heals the deafness of unbelief. He grants us the favor of his holy touch and breath, that is, grace­­ (his life), so we can see, hear, and then speak. 
 
I pray we are healed from all sorts of unbelief and doubt that make it impossible to see, hear, and speak of the Lord's goodness. Amen.
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
[Friday Week 5 A: 1 Kgs 11:29-32; 12:19; Mk 7:31-37]
Photo source: Cathopic.com. 

Grace to you!
 
Today's reflection focuses on one of the most misunderstood interactions of the Lord Jesus. It is the story of the woman whom the Gospel of Mark­, written for a Greek audience, called the Syrophoenician woman (Mk 7:24-30). The Gospel of Matthew, targeted for the Jewish audience, calls the woman "the Canaanite Woman" (Mt 15:21-28).
 
The woman's daughter was sick and dying. She pleads with the Lord Jesus to heal her daughter. First, Jesus seems to ignore her. The disciples of Jesus don't want anything to do with her, either. Worse, it seems, Jesus used an idiom that appears to compare her with dogs. Read the full story in Mark 7:24-30 or Matthew 15:21-28.

The woman calls Jesus "Son of David," acknowledging him as the Messiah. This was a rare profession of faith from a so-called gentile. 
 
The English translation of the Lord's response is shocking at face value. "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to dogs." The woman's reply ignores the seemingly shocking statement. It's a hint that the Lord's the statement may not read as it reads in English: "Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's scraps" (Mt15:26-27).
 
Many criticize the Lord's response. Some accuse him of being a bigot, a misogynist, or a hater. Anyone who has read the life of Christ would agree these labels aren’t complete opposite of his character. 
 
For me, they miss the point. Not only are such reactions rash and misleading, but they also miss the whole point of the use of idioms and metaphors in language. Over simplistic and literal interpretation of words is a recipe for confusion. It does much harm to healthy dialogue.   
Checking some Greek Biblical lexicons, I observed that the word used by Jesus was a common noun for little dogs or pets—κυνάρια (kunaria). It is distinguished from κύνες (Kunes) as usually used for dogs or street dogs.
 
Similarly, it was an idiomatic expression. The Lord did not use it in a derogatory way. The woman, coming from a similar cultural milieu, understood the meaning; and hence, responded in kind. Biblical language should be understood and interpreted in its own right and context.
 
Nevertheless, of more interest to me here is the persistence, humility, and perseverance of this woman. More importantly, it is her unmatched faith. As the Gospel of Matthew noted that the Lord attested to this when he said of the woman's faith: "not even in Israel could it be found." Indeed, many believers today do not have the level of faith of the Syrophoenician woman.
 
For those who have it and want it, faith matures. Hers matured in perseverance. Faith thrives when we know God's "inside scoop" story—the story of Revelation. It grows when we pay attention to God's signals whispered to us as in forms of idioms, parables, metaphors, and unfamiliar events. Those familiar with God's ways and inside scoop language, understand.
 
Observe the Church's liturgy, for instance. You see how the mysteries of faith unveil before your very eyes. Powerful. Gripping. It is an excellent example of the inside scoop of heavenly language, nurturing the faith that isn't common.
 
The Syrophoenician woman is, for us, a true heroine of resolute faith. It wouldn't be a bad idea to pray for such faith. It is the kind that connects with God's logic. It's the faith that knows the story behind the story. It's the faith that moves mountains.
 
I pray our faith matures like that. Amen.
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu

[Thursday Week 5 B: 1 Kgs 11:4-13; Mk 7:24-30]

Photo source: Cathopic.com

Grace to you!
 
Every human being has his or her defaults. They are those behavioral traits or attitudes we always fall back to, especially when we let down our guard. I know some of my defaults, thanks, in part, to feedback from friends and family. For instance, I struggle with dealing with people who tell lies. It gets to me. Another is that I love nice clothes and polished shoes. If heaven is for people who care less about how they dress, I think I would work harder to make it to heaven. There are other things, like some expressions I use more readily than others during spoken communications.
 
I don't know if you have discovered your defaults too. Leadership research shows everyone has their defaults. There is nothing wrong about that, especially when those defaults aren't evil. Defaults are expressions of our personality. They are our traits. They could be a blessing, contributing to our uniqueness as individuals. They could also be a hindrance to a virtuous life. Here is how.
 
Often, our defaults build on our background and our culture. Gradually they mix with our norms and morals. Indeed, they become part of our tradition. We love our tradition, and we own it. But if some aspects of that tradition, no matter how they grew, do not glorify God and promote love for all, we may remain with that default. It blocks the way for redemption to take place.
 
Don't suppose I am talking about native or cultural traditions only. I am also thinking of traditions among faith communities in the Church. See them as the way we do things and the beliefs, attitudes, and values we imbibe. Sometimes, Godly traditions can intermingle with our defaults that do not honor God, and we find it hard to separate the two. I would use what happened to me to show an example.
 
I often sit in a particular spot of the chapel when I come for my early morning private Eucharistic Adoration, Bible meditation, and prayers. One day, I went into the chapel and found someone was already occupying my space. It was about 4:00 am. Did you know I was so uncomfortable taking another position in that chapel? By the way, the chapel has over 20 empty pews. It took me some minutes to get that off my mind and quiet down and pray. 
 
I know many people, like me, who can't concentrate during church fellowship because somebody has taken the spot where they sit. It's a default that can be a barrier to inner peace.  
 
In the Gospel of Mark 7:1-13, the Lord addressed this issue. He condemned sticking to traditions that are not Godly. Such are traditions that make it difficult to worship God in Spirit and Truth. They are traditions that prevent us from loving one another. They hinder peace and growth. The Lord wants us to stick to those traditions that build God's kingdom. Godly traditions are redemptive.
 
If I may ask, have you discovered your defaults, those things you fall back on, and cherish? They may be an obstacle to a Godly life, barriers to love, and peace. They may be those things that distract you from your goals in life. How about consider doing some re-examination? Don't be shy to seek feedback from friends and families. They may help you see your blind spots.  
 
If you know your defaults, you may want to ask the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit to keep them in line with the redeeming tradition. God has revealed the redemptive way in Christ. He continually renews it in the Church. Trust God. There is redemption taking place even when something is a habit.
 
I pray for the renewal that comes from within through the Spirit. Amen. 
 
God love you.  God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu

[Tuesday Week 5:1Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30; Mk 7:1-13] 
Photo source; Cathopic.com

Grace to you!
 
One of the fascinating religious experiences I've witnessed was at Saint Brigid Church, Hanford, California, in 2012. It was a miracle of healing and conversion. 
 
A young man in his early twenties born and bred in an atheistic home fell in love with a young Catholic girl. Because of his love for the girl, he followed the girl to church for Sunday Mass. During the homily, something dramatic happened to both of them.
 
According to the girlfriend, she felt a gentle hand touch her shoulders. As she looked up and around, nobody was there, while the feeling of the touch persisted. She looked at the boyfriend. He was deep in thoughts as if an angel had visited him. While this was going on, a light shone on both of them. She saw crystal petals all over her body and her boyfriend's. The experience, according to them, was indescribable. The joy, peace, and inner healing they felt lasted many days. They scheduled to meet with me the next week to share their experiences.
 
The testimony of the boy was fascinating. He disclosed he was never a believer. He said he never understood how religion makes any sense. He had no way to connect with the meaning. "But I felt a deep peace and healing like never before during that encounter I had at Mass, and that is why I asked my girlfriend to come to see you. I want to be a Catholic, and I would love to marry this girl (referring to the girlfriend) in the Catholic Church. Would you promise me to marry us whenever we are ready?" Good news, I married them in 2014 at St. Brigid Church in the Diocese of Fresno, California. 
 
Testimonies like this happen from time to time when people touch the Lord. Or, I would rather say, when the Lord touched them. We touch the tassel of Jesus' clothes, especially during the Eucharistic celebration. 
 
Every day, the Lord Jesus is passing by us. He is passing through human instruments. He is visiting with us in a unique way through his word, and the Sacraments. The Lord is passing by in our neighborhood. He is inside those churches where is the Blessed Sacrament, the Eucharist. God is present with us in the most profound way.
 
The Lord is with us in the congregation in worship during the Eucharistic celebration. The Lord is also uniquely present in the person of the minister of the Sacraments, every day, every time you see the sacrament celebrated. Indeed, Jesus' clothes today are the church and its members. We are his body. Through us, the Lord heals those who reach out in faith. 
 
My prayer today is that you and your loved ones may touch the tassel of Jesus' clothes. May we all be God's instrument of freedom and healing. Be Jesus' clothes, to bring freedom to many.  Amen.
 
God love you.  God bless you.

Fr. Maurice Emelu
​
​[Week 5 Monday: Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13; Mk 6:53-56]

​Photo source Cathopic.com


 
 

Grace to you!
 
A fair portion of the success of evangelization in the southeast of Nigeria was the sacrifice of missionaries from Ireland and France. They came to Onitsha, across and beyond the River Niger in the second half of the 19th century. To be precise, the French Catholic priest Fr. Lutz led the team in 1885. They saw the needs of the people. They noticed they couldn’t read or write. They knew that the inability to read or write wouldn’t equip the natives for the future. So, they focused on education. They believed that with education, the native people could have better opportunities. 
 
Next, they saw the health condition of the citizens. They invested in providing basic health care. They set up clinics and later hospitals. They started to fight poverty. They knew in their bones that if one has not satisfied the basic necessities of life, it could be a hindrance to the joyful experience of the gospel. The missionaries invested in programs that would make food and clean water more available to those who were poor. They offered so much. 
 
Meanwhile, some other missionaries were carrying their Bible and preaching the fast. They quoted various verses of Scripture but offered little, if any, concrete charitable services to the community. Why preach fast to a people whose lives were routine fasting? Why preach abstinence from fat and meat and dietary needs to a people who have no meat at all to eat? This strategy failed woefully in eastern Nigeria. It fails everywhere. 
 
On the other hand, the delegation of Fr. Lutz and others who followed in his footsteps was very successful. The result was infectious. Despite the challenges, the natives realized that this crop of missionaries wasn't like the rest. They saw they hadn’t come to take but to give. They saw, they prayed like never before, and got their feet wet too in serving the poor in the community. The outpouring of their hearts to the natives was palpable. It wasn't long before large numbers of people started to congregate in the corners of the church huts. Then, they began to learn the Bible and the Catechism. The result was the fast growth of the Church in eastern Nigeria. One hundred thirty-five years later, millions profess the one true faith.
 
To be sure, the Church in eastern Nigeria isn’t perfect. No particular Church is. But the growth of the faith is mind-blowing. 
 
During the early days of Christian life in Onitsha, where I learned Catechism like any other kid, the faith was always tied to the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. We knew them by heart. It was drilled into us that faith without good works is dead. We were taught to pray and work. Social justice wasn't a new gospel. It was an integral aspect of the gospel. It wasn't social gospel versus praying gospel. It was and is still both. We were taught to profess our faith and lift the burdens of the poor as well. We were taught to spend hours in the adoration chapel and hours serving food and clothing to the poor. It wasn’t the church of the chapel adorers versus the church of the social justice advocates. It was both. 
 
It wasn't anything new. Neither is it something novel. In the Prophecy of Isaiah, the Lord rejects ostentatious piety. It lacks the core ingredients of charity in action. We learn from the Prophecy of Isaiah what true fasting, and by extension, true religion, is. It is to share our bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into our house. It is also to clothe the naked and not to avoid the needy in our midst. It is also to pour oneself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted (Is 57:7, 10).  
 
The Lord tells us that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Mt 5:13-16). These are metaphors. Yet, they have a much deeper meaning. As salt, we are what makes things of taste, good. We serve as preservatives to the good things the Creator has bequeathed the world too. Well, these—taste and preservative roles—are the most common understanding of the salt. For the snowy cities, salt could serve the role of defrosting the ice; yet, it may also serve the role of damaging the roads. There are numerous other ways of looking at it. It could speak to that condition in which we are unnoticed and yet make things taste good. It could be becoming that which melts and permeates into the fabric of society with the warmth of our love. Of all food ingredients, salt is about the fastest to dissolve. It dissolves completely. No one sees it, yet it impacts everything else in the soup.  
 
It is so with anyone born anew in Christ. We become that unassuming and unnoticed ingredient that holds the world in good taste. In our prayer and our social justice works, we carry the heart of true love and hands of pure love. We pour ourselves. We daily die so those around us may live well. None pretentious self-emptying is part of who we are as believers.
 
Such is light too. Natural light is everywhere but seems nowhere. Except for artificial lights or bulbs, you notice that nobody points to it, yet it is everywhere. Sometimes, people don't notice, but the impact is everywhere. Have you ever walked out on a bright day and paid attention to the sun? You walk in the light. It shines. It permeates. You enjoy its rays while it goes unannounced. So is the life of a true believer. 
 
How is this possible? It is when our religious devotions are grounded in sensitivity to the ethical demands and needs around us. It is when we don't just say things, we do them. It is when we realized that one life, we positively impact is worth much more than all the prayers and fasting, that we load up. It is when we shine because Christ lives in us. And like Christ, we live and move and shine. It isn't merely our devotions and prayers that shine. It is everything we do, even our constant commitment to serve and give to charity.
 
Faith without good work is simply dead (Jas 2:17). As the Jewish Biblical scholar Michael Fishbane (2002) notes, "Ritual must be grounded in moral sensibility and action” (Haftarot, p. 393). 

I am praying for the grace to pour ourselves out for the good of those around us, for it is in dying that we find life.
 
God love you. God bless you. 
 
 
[5th Sunday A: Is 58:7-10; 1 Cor 2:1-5; Mt 5:13-16. Image source. Cathopic.com]