Grace to you!
 
If we could enjoy the liberty of envisioning the past and bringing it to the present, imagine being one of the early disciples of Jesus Christ, those who were born and grew in a culture that prides itself as the only chosen of God, God's special people, the Israelites. All their lives, many of their elites and opinion molders believed that salvation was only for the Jews. 
 
Many of their prominent rabbis at the time taught them about their exclusive patrimony to the Messiah. The Talmud—which was mainstream—comprising the Mishnah and the Gemara (their written traditions second only to the Law and the Prophets), and the Midrash (their interpretative traditions), in some ways or another, reinforced that belief. For them, God’s salvation was not for the gentiles. It was for the Jews. Others were outside the radius of divine redemption. 
 
Imagine being like the apostles who were Jews, members of the inner circle, who were called by the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus reveals that God's saving mission wasn't simply about a particular nation; it was for all. Though it started with the forming of a people, who by biological givens were Jews, its goal was to “All nations.” This must be shocking. 
 
The Messiah they had hope for and believed they had found came with a revolutionary message, the message that salvation is for all, Jews and gentiles alike. How would that discovery shape your understanding of the faith? If you were one of them, how would you respond to that revolutionary message? 
 
At first, many of the disciples were reluctant to embrace that message, but slowly they did. The first missionaries to go outside of Israel to preach the Good News were driven by persecution. Philip, the deacon, was one of them who preached to the Ethiopian Eunuch. Paul was a remarkable trailblazer, the apostle to the Gentiles; then Peter, who preached in the house of Cornelius (Acts of the Apostles 10), etc. 
 
The common theme about their innovation was that it was clear to them that with God, “there is no favoritism.” For all peoples of every nation, tribe and tongue are called to the salvation in Christ. They learned the lesson from the Messiah himself and it came alive after the Pentecost. 
 
It is God's plan right from the time of the Old Testament that all would see God's glory, first the Jews and then the rest of the world. “They shall proclaim my glory among the nations. They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations as an offering to the Lord…” (Isaiah 66:19-20). 
 
Regarding those invited to God’s salvation, the Lord states: "All people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God" (Luke 13:29).
 
The invitation to this feast isn't by birth, by nationality or by race; it's by committed choice for the Lord and His ways, walking through the narrow gate, the Jesus way. It’s by identifying with the Christ-event, through a committed choice for Him, that we can be part of this salvation package revealed fully in Christ. 
 
If all cultures, all peoples are invited, it also means that no culture is outside the radius of divine invitation or divine intervention. As Pope Paul VI stated, every strata of human culture is the target of the ministry of evangelization, and we are to bring the Good News of Christ to all cultures, all humanity, “transforming it from within and making it new” (see Evangelii Nuntiandi,18).
 
Our mission, therefore, is to extend that invitation to all peoples no matter who they are and where they come from, irrespective of their background or their past. Scripture says, “Go out to all the world and tell the Good News” (Mark 16:15).
 
I repeat, as I have hinted in the past, a cultural religion is a religion that limits God's universal call to a particular culture. It’s a human religion, and runs the risk of fashioning its own god after its own image and likeness. Ours is Christ in cultures, not culture in Christ. It’s this Christ that shatters all fetters of evil in any human society, nurturing its peoples to see God’s glory. It’s culture invigorated by Christ. Hence, it’s our joy to tell the story to all peoples. 
 
I pray with Saint Paul that we all, with unveiled face, may behold the glory of the Lord, “changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). 
 
As Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen joked, there will be three surprises in heaven: “First of all, I will see some people whom I never expected to see. Second, there will be a number whom I expected who will not be there. And - even relying on God’s mercy - the biggest surprise of all may be that I will be there.”
 
God love you. God bless you. 
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
 
 
[21st Sunday of Ordinary Time C. Isaiah 66:18-21; Hebrews 12:5–7; 11–13; Luke 13:22–30]

Grace to you! 
 
Yesterday, I shared some thoughts on the dress code for participants at the heavenly feast. Borrowing from Saint Augustine and other fathers of the Church, rooted in the bible, I wrote it is love—charity. I would love to extend that reflection by drawing from the Lord’s answer to the Pharisee who was a lawyer. 
 
The Lawyer asked Jesus: “Which is the greatest of the commandments?" Jesus replied that the first is the love of God and the second is the love of neighbor. And on these two commandments, he said, depend the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:34 to 40). 
 
When I read those words, which by the way I have read over and over again and, I suppose, you are pretty familiar with, I am drawn to ponder on the meaning of those words for me this moment. How do they speak to my spiritual and social life? How do I reflect God's love and love of my neighbor, especially towards that guy who drives me crazy?
 
I am reminded of the Little Flower, Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus. She prayed and constantly asked God to lead her to discover her unique vocation in life. It wasn’t simply about the vocation for “status” in life. She was already a religious nun. She wanted to find her place in the religious life, her place in the Body of Christ. 
 
After many years of searching, praying and reading, she came across St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 12:31, where it said love is the greatest. She claimed right then the answer was found and it stuck. She exclaimed: “Yes I have found my vocation; my vocation is to love.” 
 
In her very words told in her autobiography, which was written out of obedience and published posthumously, “Then, nearly ecstatic with supreme joy in my soul, I proclaimed: O Jesus, my love, at last I have found my calling: my call is love. Certainly I have found my proper place in the Church, and you gave me that very place, my God. In the heart of the Church, my mother, I will be love, and thus I will be all things, as my desire finds its direction.”
 
Love all the way through, is the answer to finding true joy and inner peace. It’s the way of God, the way to true faith and true religion. 
 
As I contemplate Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I am reminded what that love is about. It is about self-emptying so that all around us could witness the joy of salvation, the joy of the Lord and the glory of God’s face. As the theologian Hans Urs von Balthasarwould say, in Christ’s love and incarnation, we find the glory of God. 
 
It is forgiveness so that all who hurt us could feel reconciled, and hopefully be reconciled. It is joy so that the sad and forlorn could be renewed and rejuvenated.
 
It is hope so that the darkness of despair could be overcome by the brilliance of holy agape, inspiring and gracing the heart once broken.
 
It is selfless service so that we no longer live for ourselves alone, but for others in Him who died for us, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is sacrifice so that my neighbor could experience the hospitality and validation of being and feeling a priority. 
 
It is being God to other people so that they can say, as the poor Indian homeless said because of the live-example of Mother Theresa Calcutta:  “If Christ is like you, I will love to see him and to know him.”
 
Love is all it takes. Love is our passcode to perfect law, perfect life and perfect peace.
 
Lord Jesus Christ, increase your love in our hearts so we can love as you love. Amen.
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
 Fr. Maurice Emelu.
 
[Friday Week 20, Ru 1;1,3-6,14-16,22;  Mt 22:34–40]
 
 

 
Grace to you!

A young woman was invited for a party. It was supposed to be her 50thbirthday, sort of surprise party. The invitation card was a simple design; a few notes about the location and the time, and a little bullet point footnote concerning the dress code. 
 
Thrilled, she scheduled the time and place for the party, but forgot to look at the lower part of the invitation card where there is information about the dress code. Like many, she tossed the card after putting the event in her calendar. When she came to the party, she realized that everybody else was dressed in white and black. She was in cream and red. 
 
She was uncomfortable for the rest of the party. All eyes were on her as the guest of honor. Trust the gossips that can’t ignore a mistake. They had their fill. While she could hardly raise her head up. Her excitement for a surprise 50thbirthday was ruined. The thought of “I blew it” filled her mind as the party went on. Poor lady. 
 
Now consider the invitation to the Feast of the Lamb by God, an invitation extended to all, Jews and gentiles, saints and sinners. All are invited. You are actually a special guest. Jesus tells us the story of the nature of the feast in the Gospel of Matthew 22:1-14. 
 
Biblical wedding feast stories remind us of the great joy of God’s kingdom and of the fact that through the Incarnation (God becoming man in Christ), God and humanity have been espoused (see 2 Corinthians 11, Ephesian 5:25), the Church being the bride of Christ and each member of the Church espoused to God. 
 
Through the sacraments, God’s Word and unmerited graces, we are constantly nourished, and the robe of righteousness is clad. By faith and through baptism, we are engrafted as part of that family of God. We started to participate in the feast in a little way, while anticipating the final consummation in God’s kingdom in heaven. 
 
One of the particularities of the feast is that there is a dress code. I was wondering what that is? Surely, it isn’t simply faith as John Calvin, the founder of protestant Calvinism argued, because to honor the invitation and be welcome into the feast suggests the person already has faith. The invitation is accepted by faith. Faith opens the door. 
 
I love Saint Augustine’s explanation of what this dress code to the wedding feast is. Other fathers of the Church like Saints Gregory and Ambrose support his view too. He says it’s the garb of charity or love. 
 
The righteous garment of charity understood as love endures. As Saint Paul said, “there are three things that last—faith, hope and charity (love) and the greatest of these is charity” (I Corinthian 13:13). 
 
I love this poetic line by Bernard Sexton, whose song Ubi Caritas et Amoris one of my favorites during the Holy Thursday celebration of the Lord’s Supper, “Where love and charity abide, there God is found.” 
 
Scripture says, “He who does not love does not know God; for God is love” (1 Jn 4:8).
 
I pray we are constantly renewed and clothed in love and charity. Amen.  May we learn from Mother Mary, our heavenly queen,  the way of pure love of the Son. Amen. 
​
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 
 
[Thursday Week 20 Ordinary Time: Jgs:11:29-39; Mt 22:1-14]

Grace to you!
 
Yesterday, I promised to reflect on “the eye of a needle” phrase, hence this blog. 
 
The Lord declared: “It is easier for the camel to pass through the eye of a needlethan for the rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24). This is one of those proverbs in the New Testament with various interpretations and misinterpretations.  
 
There are different views as to the meaning of this proverb, which by the way, according to Scripture scholar Alfred Edersheim, was a slight adaptation of another common Jewish proverb which says, “a man even in his dreams does not see an elephant pass through a needle’s eye.” Basically, it shows how unrealizable such a dream is. 
 
While reflecting on those different understandings, as with other of my daily reflections, my goal is to enrich our spiritual life. Call it a Christian spiritual boost for the day. Though this topic may be a little more technical, I will try to simplify it as much as possible. 
 
You may have heard some people who understand the above proverb to mean the camel passing through the knitting needle’s eye or the surgical needle, as used in Luke’s translation (remember Luke was a physician). Though this view is unpopular, and very simplistic, many have come to see it as also important to understanding the message. 
 
The most popular view, which I suspect you already know, is that the eye of a needle refers to the small gate beside the big gate on the walls surrounding the Jerusalem city during the time of Jesus. The small gates were designed so that in the evening, when the big gate is closed for security reasons, the shepherds or others outside the wall could still have access to the city without having to wait till the next morning when the big gate is opened. 
 
Because the so-called gate, called the eye of a needle, was generally small, some suggest it would be difficult for the camel to pass through it. If the camel must pass through the gate, at least two things have to happen. 
 
First, the camel must stoop down, almost lapping the stomach on the sand. This could be possible if the fore limbs are cuddled up or stretched almost flat forward and the hind limbs stretched backwards, all these depending on the size of the camel. The bigger the camel, the more difficult it would be to pass through the gate. What a torture that could be. 
 
What it takes to get to heaven if we are attached to wealth could be like a torture too. A lot of sacrifice is involved. Detachment makes a heaven journey more pleasant. No need to labor under torture.
 
Second, for the camel to pass through the eye of a needle, the hunchback of the animal would have to be pressed down, at least a little bit. As the belly is touching the ground, the hunchback is pressed down to make it possible for the huge animal to pass through.
 
Each of these two actions seems extremely difficult. One could spiritually see the two actions in the light of the level of stooping—humility, pressing and stretching (sacrifice and detachment), which the rich would have to pass through to enter God’s kingdom. 
 
A simple example could help drive home this point. Consider living in the USA where regular electricity is taken for granted. You visited some part of Africa and realized that for your one week stay there was no electricity, thus neither hot shower nor online connectivity is possible. It would demand a lot of sacrifice, literally detoxing from your usual convenience, for you to survive in such an environment. Generally speaking, people who are very comfortable have less resistance to unusual crosses; and going to heaven, whose route is the way of the cross, could be very challenging to some.
 
Though the above understanding re “small gate” was the mainstream and seems to sound sweeter for sermons, recent biblical and historical studies have shown the idea of a small gate by the big city gate, called the eye of a needle, may not be historically accurate. It may be good for personal meditation, but not for accuracy of biblical interpretation. 
 
Let’s look at another interpretation of Jesus’ “the eye of a needle” proverb. This has to do with the actual Greek word, which many have translated in English as “camel.” If, as some bible scholars have suggested (though this is unlikely), the actual word used by Jesus is κάμιλος(kamilos), which means “the rope of a ship, or a cable” instead of κάμηλος(kamelos) – camel, then it sheds another light on the message for us. 
 
To employ the imagery of the ship-rope or cable, consider using the rope used for anchoring the ship and trying to use it to pass through the eye of a needle, that is, the opening in the needle where threads are passed for sewing. Wouldn’t this be simply impossible to do? Could this be what Jesus wanted to communicate; hence the apostles were shocked, and in desperation said, “Then who can be saved?” 
 
There is something about this second interpretation which heightens the sense of curiosity. If we take it as what the Lord meant, then it’s only by God’s grace that the wealthy can go to heaven. Indeed, everyone needs that grace. 
 
Finally, here is how the text speaks to me, having read the lines of many of the Church’s understanding. The proverb carries symbolic meaning(s), like many other proverbs used by Jesus, and should be seen as a reference to something that is unachievable, except by God’s grace. 
 
The shock of the apostles shouldn’t be seen in the light of a camel passing through the small gate or the cable passing through the knitting or surgical needle but in the light of the fact that for many of the Jews of Jesus’ time, wealth was seen as a sign of divine justification and poverty was seen as a curse. Jesus taught something different—being rich doesn’t necessarily mean being righteous. In fact, it would be more difficult, almost unthinkable, for those attached to wealth to get to heaven. That was what shocked the disciples. 
 
So, what’s my take-home here, the spiritual food I crave for my day’s nourishment? Wealth isn’t necessarily a sign of divine justification. Similarly, salvation for the wealthy would demand detachment, cutting down on what we don’t need by giving them to those who need them. By so doing, we are nipping greed in the bud and training ourselves in the virtue of charity and temperance. But ultimately, as with everyone, salvation is by God’s grace. 
 
We need that grace, don’t we? Let’s continue to pray for it.
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 

Grace to you!
 
Addressing his disciples after a noble rich man asked the question about what to do to inherit the kingdom of God, the Lord stated a shocking truth. “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again, I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Mt 19:23-24). 
 
Why is it going to be hard or very difficult (duskolos)—the original Greek word used in the text—for the wealthy to enter God’s kingdom? I have a few suggestions for our meditations today. I will focus on the metaphor of “the eye of a needle” in tomorrow’s reflection. 
 
First, anything we possess we don’t need is a distraction. Hanging on to those things could make serving God and being of service to one another more difficult. Those things are a distraction to heavenly glory.
 
Second, if we spend energy on what we don’t need, we unwittingly fall short of doing, or spending our resources on what we need. What we don’t need is junk. Toss the junk and be freer. A sort of minimalism in terms of possessions is helpful here. Spiritual life thrives as much as junk of this kind is tossed. 
 
Third, amassing wealth we don’t need has a way of increasing our love for ourselves. Another name for it is self-centeredness that could lead to narcissism. A narcissist hardly has space for another person, not even God; and, such a person hardly could make it to heaven. Self-absorption is heaven’s repulsion. 
 
Fourth, riches, in the sense of what we don’t need, are to our spiritual life what excess fat is to our body. The imbalance of excess fat could be alluded to the spiritual imbalance which could occur. Many times, what we don’t need opens the door to anxiety. When we keep more than is necessary, we also spend more valuable time maintaining or protecting it, whereas we could use that time and energy on more important things. This can distract us from the divine path. 
 
Fifth, the danger of hoarding is higher too. Hoarding isn’t simply about a cluttered home, office or car; it could also be about cluttered minds and foggy spirit. Constant worries about how the stock market is doing or how to maintain our homes which are beyond what we can manage, can be unnecessarily stressful. Also, the difficulty of managing our properties, securities, or our shares, etc., when they are more than we can reasonably handle, can be spiritually suffocating. Such is a hazard on heaven’s path. We need fresh air coming from having less than more. Sometimes, less is better than more. Here is a suggestion: if it is too much to manage and causes you unnecessary anxiety and sleepless nights, downsize. 
 
Sixth, attachment to wealth has a lot to do with the worldly. If our heart is so attached to wealth, the temptation of a false god of “what I have” and a false sense of identity that “I am worth my bank accounts” is high. The danger is that God is placed secondary. It’s self-destructive too because it makes one think less of one’s true dignity as a person. Also, true appreciation of our neighbor’s dignity and relevance wouldn’t even have a chance. 
 
Thus, if it is that difficult, though not impossible, for the rich to enter God’s kingdom, what are we expected to do? 
 
Here is my simple spiritual advice: Whatever we have that we don’t need belongs to somebody else. For example, are there pairs of shoes or clothes in your closet you haven’t used in years? Are there books or pieces of furniture, etc., in your basement or in storage that are rusting away? It’s about time to gift them to someone who can use them. We would be doing ourselves a great spiritual favor if we declutter. If you haven’t worn that dress in six years, how do you expect you would in the seventh? 
 
Being rich isn’t bad. It’s actually good. But not using our wealth for needs is a spiritual barrier. We don’t need that barrier. 
 
Let’s pray for one another, for the grace of detachment and generosity. Amen. 

By the way, today is my 14th priestly anniversary. Your prayers will be highly appreciated. 
 
God love you. God bless you. 
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
 
[Tuesday Week 20, Ordinary Time: Jgs 6:11-24; Matthew 19:23-30]
 

Grace to you!
 
There are two broad approaches to growth in the spiritual life. There is the approach that focuses on what evil or bad behavior to avoid. There is the approach that is driven by what good to do. 
 
The first approach is classified under the negative way in fundamental theological thoughts. It begins with the assumption that we have to avoid evil. It grows from the deeper concern that evil must have to be rejected. 
 
So, when one focuses on this, one would have to measure one’s attitudes and behavior based on the stipulations of the law. For instance, when one is in a hurry going to work and is approaching a red traffic light, one would think of what the law says. Should I proceed or not proceed? Should I drive through the red light or not? What determines what not to do is what is stipulated by the law or the policy. This is not that simple, but I try here to represent this view in the simplest possible way. 
 
You would notice that this negative way does its functions. Without it, there will be a lawless society. Without it, one wouldn’t even know what the basic expectations in our relationships could be. In the organization, one wouldn’t know the metrics for improved performance or somehow, the measure for determining quality service delivery. 
 
But a life and spirituality based on this would not go too far. It would, for sure, not be rich in generous love and charity. In cases of dilemma or crisis, it would be depressingly stressful. It would lead to an utterly legalistic way of life and deprive us of the sweetness of holy creativity and affectionate relationship. 
 
In leadership, it would be an utterly static position which does not give room for creativity and innovation. Go back and check, organizations that hardly innovate or create do not grow. 
 
For all its worth, no one likes sleeping on the bed of law’s regulations. For all its worth, no co-creator (you and I) of the Creator would live without exploring the beautiful opportunities for the practice of charity. We become co-creators in doing and living of the seed through which life is born or regenerated. This seed is love, the charity that makes us live like God who is love. We want to live the law but not to be led by the law. We want to fulfil the law and breathe life into it because we are in love. 
 
The second approach takes the first to a more pleasant attitude. It is the approach that believes one becomes better by doing good. Evil is overcome by the practice of virtue. One could avoid evil as much as one wants, but without the practice of the opposite of that evil, the evil will continue to stick around and seriously distract the moral will. 
 
The Blessed Lord shows us this dynamic in his conversation with the so-called rich aristocrat (Mt 19:16-22). The man asks to know how to inherit eternal life. Without focusing on the problem of his mind-set, which makes him think he can earn eternal life by his own works alone—a topic I have reflected on somewhere else—, I want us to pay attention to the way the Lord responded. 
 
First was to propose to the man what he was used to doing. It is the evil to avoid. Notice the Lord tells him to avoid this and avoid that. The man responds he has done so since birth. But the man knows that what he had been doing hasn’t made him any better. Something was lacking. He wanted to build a moral life of avoidance, but he was certain in his heart the avoidance approach wasn’t enough. Being on the defensive wouldn’t guarantee victory in the line of battle. 
 
So, the Lord told him what was lacking. It is the ability to allow oneself to become a doer of good. One has to do something in order to change something evil. One has to practice virtue in order for vice to be overcome. One has to be proactive. 
 
It is symbolized in the Lord’s answer to“sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Mt 19:21). For me, this implies the walk from avoidance approach, the negative way, to giving away of some values for a higher course, the positive way. And then, this is followed by service to others, “give to the poor”; and then commitment to the Lord, “come follow me.” 
 
There are three things involved here. One is the selling. The other is the giving. And yet the third is the following of the way of the Lord. The “selling” doesn’t mean the Lord wants us all to sell off our belongings or assets to live in the monastery and make a perpetual vow of poverty. This would be a myopic way of reading the Lord’s message. The “selling” has to do with the willingness to detach and give of ourselves in service. 
 
These three—the selling, the giving and the following—are processes in the practice of virtue. One has to detach. One has to serve others. One has to be a committed disciple of holiness. It is in doing these that one can mature in the depth of spiritual wealth and holiness. 
 
By following the Lord, and the Lord taking the lead, we find the home which the soul is searching. That home is God’s life. Anyone who follows the Lord receives the life of the Lord. The person receives it anyway because the person is following it anyway. 
 
So, do you want to be perfect, simply follow the Lord. 
 
Praying for the grace to do so. 
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
[Monday Week 20: Jgs 2:11-19; Mt 19:16-22]
 

Grace to you!
 
If you are a leader or a coach, you know how depressing it can be to lead demotivated team. On the other hand, when you have motivated people, you feel like you can fly. Motivated people are on fire. They buy in easily. They get things going. 
 
Fire has come to symbolize many things, from the good to the destructive. In Southern California where wild fire outbreak is more frequent than is desirable, the symbol of fire is terrifying. 
 
Yet, fire is the key to purification, transforming raw materials and metals into refined products, and warming our menus for a delicious dinner. Also, when the fire of love is kindled in the heart, we see how the raw materials of our spiritual growth come alive. We begin to glow just like the face of Moses glowed while he was coming down from the mountain, having encountered the Lord. 
 
But there is something about fire that speaks more than purification. Fire is the symbol of zeal and passion. “There is fire in his words,” suggests passionate words and enthusiasm. 
 
It was logical that the Lord Jesus would speak of kindling fire upon earth right after his discussion on proper stewardship and the high expectation of one to whom much has been given (see Luke 12:41-48). 
 
Fire also signifies intensity. There could be nothing more intense at the natural level than fire. So, when we speak of the fire of love, we refer to the intensity of that love. 
 
In the Gospel of Luke 12:49, Jesus declares: “I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!”
 
Could we get to the mind of Jesus to see how his wish isn’t simply a fantasy, but a prophecy which must be fulfilled? In that one line, the Lord speaks of his mission, as well as his commissioning for the disciples. He promised to set hearts and minds and the world on fire. This took place after what he called “the baptism which I must be baptized”; meaning, his crucifixion. Didn’t he set the disciples on fire on Pentecost day as he had promised? Isn’t that fire on for those who receive the Holy Spirit?
 
Understanding what this fire means is crucial to tapping its promise. It’s the fire of love, God’s burning love (Deuteronomy 4:24, Exodus 13:21-22), inspiring the giving up of Jesus’ life for love of us (John 3:16). “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). 
 
For Saints Ambrose, Cyril of Alexandria, and John Chrysostom, it is the fire of purification, purifying the dirt of sin in our hearts. The fire also symbolizes the Holy Spirit (Saint Bede, Acts 2).
 
Saint Josemaría Escrivá, called it “apostolic fire that acquires its strength in prayer…” (Christ Is Passing By, 120). It is the fire of zeal for evangelization. 
 
A heart aflame for love wants to give everything or give her all, like a mother, to the most beloved child. If we are not afire for God and the Gospel, we won’t give our all. We won’t buy into God’s mission. The buying in, the passion, the motivation is from the Holy Spirit, “the principal agent of evangelization” (Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, n. 6; also, John Paul II, Redemptori Missio, RM., n.21).
 
The Spirit descended on the apostles on Pentecost like a dove. They were on fire. Their fears were consumed by the fire of love. They became bold and preached with power. No one can contain the fire of love, the fire of the gospel and its purifying grace in the heart of believers. 

Get this straight: This fire isn’t simply an easy route or a feel-good experience. Its consequence in a world cold to the things of God is direct opposition. Though the fire is about peace, love, grace and mercy and God’s boundless and burning love, many don’t want it or stand for it. 

Opposition to the fire of charity brings persecution, division and conflicts, even within the same family. Jeremiah was on fire, and his prophecies made him Public Enemy No.1 of the political class. The letter to the Hebrews 12:4 speaks of the martyrdom which a faith on fire experiences, crushing the alluring pleasures of sin. It may be what Saint John of the Cross calls, the dark night of the senses.

The Lord Jesus has already warned believers about this scary persecution and the consequences of being on fire for God. So be ready. 

As a believer, be bold. Be not afraid. Keep the fire burning. Be courageous when faced with oppositions, knowing that extinguishing the fire of love because of the cold blood of hate isn’t the best option. Set the cold world of hate, apathy and evil on fire with the blazing fire of love, grace and righteousness.

I’m in for it. I hope you buy in also. Be equipped and motivated. Amen. 

God love you. God bless you. 

Fr. Maurice Emelu
​
[20th Sunday C: Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10; Hebrew 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53]