Grace to you!
 
One of the ways to recognize people who are devout is the tender sentiment they have towards things of God. When the things of God are violated, they feel the pain and readily are available to make things better. They are gracious in dealing with people also, seeing them as God’s children.
 
I read the purifying of the temple in Jerusalem by Judas Maccabeus, his brothers and the army of Judah, as recorded in the First Book of Maccabees chapter four, and I feel their holy desire and sense of worship. 
 
The temple was defiled when King Antiochus and his delegates established another form of worship not in line with Jewish worship, and enthroned what the Jews called the Abomination (more on that in the next reflection). We learn from this story how the people of the second century BC cherished and revered the temple of the Lord. 
 
You may want to read the story and pay attention to the details of their holy piety. 
 
As I read the story, I’m reminded of the temple of the Lord which is my body. Establishing an abomination in my temple, my body, is introducing anything that does not glorify God in my body. You know what those are, don’t you? We’ll see to it shortly.
 
I love the theology of the body as championed by Saint Pope John Paul II. It shows why the body is precious and deserves being taken care of properly. Purity of the body is an essential aspect of the purity of the soul and spirit.
 
Healthy food, balanced diet, exercising, sound sleep and feeling well rested; keeping to the purity of sexual life and intimacy; preventing toxics, such as smoke and hard drugs into our system, etc.; these are ways to keep this temple holy and pure. 
 
For instance, you’ll notice when you’re over weight, it affects everything—your work ethics, your rest, your prayer life, etc. You change your wardrobe. Those best cloths that fit may not be useful again. You feel less confident about yourself. No need to feel that way. You have the answer, lose weight. Take care of the body.
 
Scripture tells us the best way: Honoring God in our body (1 Cor 6:19-20). Honoring God in our body as described here is moral and spiritual purity. It is also about health hygiene. It’s about a healthy body in a healthy soul.
 
God has given us this body. It is precious. You may not like how one part or another of your body may look. Nonetheless, it’s the best possible way you’re made and you’re beautiful.
 
Action plan: If there is any thing in my life that has become a stumbling block to my spiritual health, this is the time to clean it out and live the joy of holiness. 
 
God love you. God bless you. 
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 
 
[Friday Week 33A: 1 Mc 4:36-37, 52-59; Lk 19:45-48]
 

Grace to you! 
 
Recently, a friend from Nigeria completed a chapel in honor of God the Father. He was filled with joy that God gave him the opportunity to build Him a house where many could come and worship. For this devout Catholic, who is a successful businessman, it means so much to him than any charity he had ever done.
 
I have had opportunities of interacting with a few families who have either funded the building of a Church or chapel in their parishes or dioceses, or even on mission lands. They say the spiritual consolation flowing from being part of such holy work knows no bounds. 
 
There is a profound theological significance for a people to build a place of worship as they build their homes. Just like in ancient Israel, the presence of the temple is a symbol of God's presence among us. 
 
Once a priest was in a church getting ready for Mass. A woman, who evidently was spiritually broken, came crashing down in the church. Her sobbing could win the sympathy of the most hardened of hearts.
 
After a long period of weeping, the woman looked up and saw the priest standing by her and looking down with a prayerful gaze. She said, “At last I came in a place I felt safe and peace.” She went on to say she wasn’t a believer, but when walking by that church, she felt like coming in to find peace.
 
She explained that the aura of the church offered her what no place she had been to could offer. She was grateful there was a church whose doors were open for the broken hearted to come in and find peace. 
 
The church building reminds me that God is among us. Much so, if the Blessed Sacrament is in that sacred space.
 
God spoke through the lips of Haggai thousands of years ago: “Go up into the hill country; bring timber, and build the house. That I may take pleasure in it and receive my glory, says the LORD” (Haggai 1:7-8). He reminded the people, as they live in classy homes, they shouldn’t allow His house to be in ruin (v. 4).
 
Remember, when God is glorified, the earth is blessed for it. As you prioritize the comforts of your home, have you also prioritized the building or maintenance of your church?
 
Much more, our body is God’s temple (1 Cor 6:19). Keep it pure and classy.
 
May God give us the grace to make our hearts, the true temple, a home fitting for Him. Amen 
 
God love you. God bless you. 
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 
 
[Thursday Week 25 A: Hg 1:1-8; Lk 9:7-9]
 
 

Grace to you!
 
Three letters in the New Testament are called pastoral letters. They include 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus. They are called pastoral letters because they are instructions, guidelines and words of encouragement for ordained ministers—shepherds (pastors).
 
They were addressed to those desiring or in the sacrament of Holy Orders; the order of service (leadership) in the Church, namely the elders/overseers (bishops and priests) and deacons. 
 
From those letters we read the qualities expected of ordained ministers. The text of Timothy chapter three begins by saying; "If any one aspires the office of bishop, he desires a noble task" (3:1).
 
"Bishop" is Greek episkopos, which means “overseer or Bishop.” Of course, it is a noble task to be given a privilege to serve God and the Church as an overseer. 
 
Nonetheless, Scripture lists at least fifteen qualities expected of that service. Call it the skill-set of a church leader. The person must be: 

1. Irreproachable
2. Married only once 
3. Temperate 
4. Self-controlled
5. Decent 
6. Hospitable
7. Able to teach
8. Not a drunkard 
9. Not aggressive 
10. Gentle
11. Not contentious 
12. Not a lover of money
13. He must manage his own household well...for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of the church of God?
14. He should not be a recent convert
15. Have a good reputation among outsiders  (see I Tim 3:1-7).

 
For Deacons, the Letter lists these qualities. The person must be: 

1. Dignified 
2. Not deceitful
3. Not addicted to drink
4. Not greedy for sordid gain
5. Holding fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
6. Tested and found reliable (see 1 Tim 3:8-10).

   
Evidently, the bar for being an elder (bishop or priest) is very high. I will not comment on these lists because they are self-explanatory. As a priest, I will place this on my reading desk wall to remind me of these biblical expectations. 
 
Let me say something about the second quality "married only once." Some translations like RSV say "the husband of one wife." It is based on this that some argue the priest or bishop must be married once. But this isn't exactly what the text is saying, otherwise Saint Paul to whom this letter is attributed or in whose name a disciple of his may have written, would be requiring what he didn't practice. Recall that Saint Paul, though an elder, wasn't married. 
 
The emphasis is that those who desire ministerial priesthood should not have been married more than once. Many were already married before they were called by the Lord, as we shall see.
 
In those days, unlike the understanding today, to be married more than once would suggest that the person is either unstable, unfaithful, can’t control himself or simply following the common practice where people divorced at will—a practice Jesus Christ condemned (Mt 19:9). There was a negative feeling associated with it in the Christian community then. The Bible didn't say the person must be married once, but shouldn't be married more than once. You could already notice a pointer to self-control. Thus, what is mandatory isn't to be married, but not to be married more than once. 
 
Following the history of the Church, we know that among the Apostles of Jesus, many were married before they were called to serve as apostles. Some (like Peter) who were married lived as if they weren’t married. A few like John and Paul weren't married at all before they were called and after they were appointed apostles. Down history, “marriage not more than once” was optional for bishops and priests until the First Lateran Council in 1123 when it was formalized as an ecclesiastical discipline for the Latin (Roman) rite. 
 
There is much more to this than I can share in this brief reflection. In the meantime, though celibacy for priests isn’t a divine law, it is a unique gift, which I believe, helps the celibate keep a singularity of purpose in our commitment to ministerial service in the Church. It is a sacrifice too, and the Lord loves the sacrifice that costs the giver something. Scripture says, “Do not offer the Lord a sacrifice that costs you nothing” (2 Sam 24:24). 
 
As a celibate, I feel totally dedicated to God and His people. When I help people or do charity for anyone, I know my obligation to do so isn't because of legal justice or even social justice, but social charity. I am totally dedicated to the work of the Church and owe no one—such as a husband should owe the wife and/or his children—a primary loyalty except to God and His Church.
 
This isn't selfish. For me, it is actually an example of selflessness. In celibacy I appreciate the Lords words; “foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head” (Mt 8:20).
 
Pray for your bishops and priests. Pray for me too. 
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
[Tuesday Week 24: 1 Tim 3:1-13; Lk 7:11-17]