Grace to you!
 
Our conversation yesterday centered on how to find eternal life. We said it’s in the “Come, follow me” Jesus’ invitation. You may want to go back to that discussion because it’s like an introduction to our reflection today.
 
Holiness. How does this word sound to you? A cliché? A never-realistic word? A special reserve for those in the monastery? 
 
Growing up, I used to identity holiness with only the monks and nuns wearing impeccable and solemn-looking cassocks or habits. This was the imagery from popular literatures on holiness. I thought it wasn’t for anyone. I was wrong.
 
Holiness is for everyone. It’s indeed, the universal call for everyone. These are not simply my words. The Church’s official documents and the Bible state so. Nonetheless, understanding what it means to be holy can be foggy, many times.
 
Sometimes, we suppose it’s in keeping the disciplines of our faith, all the requirements of the law, like the rich young man in the Bible (Mark 10:17-27). I discussed this issue yesterday. We fail to see that morality is a necessary first step to holiness, but not the end. Holiness is a journey towards something, towards somebody. We detach from what takes our gaze from the Lord and attach to the Lord and the Lord’s ways. 
 
Only God is holy, just like only God is good. Holiness belongs to God. If we must be holy, it has to be a journey to God who is holiness itself. It is being immersed in God's life. It is encountering, witnessing as well as living God's saving grace. 
 
Consider visiting the entertainment capital of the USA, Los Angeles, and wanting to spend all day going to the movies. You are in Hollywood and have a taxi head east of Hollywood to go to the movies miles away. Wouldn’t it sound ridiculous that you came to Hollywood Universal Studios but drove farther away from it to go see movies?
 
Holiness has a hub and a circle. Closer to it, and indeed, within it, we find what it means to be holy.
 
God is holy (see Leviticus 11:44-45; 1 Peter 1:16). To be holy is to be in God and to grow in holiness is to walk in the rings of divine circle. It requires leaving everything behind and following the Lord who is all that the soul is searching for (see Mark 10:28-30). In doing so, we are detaching ourselves from all that stand in the way of the Lord. 
 
Fortunately, just like we need a vehicle to get to the movies, we need the grace of God to become more intimate in the heart of holiness. We need the grace of God to be able to leave our comfort zone in order to give ourselves to the Lord in service. We realize that it is in doing so we become truly free to serve the Lord and also love and serve one another in the way that is pleasing to God.
 
In effect, if we want to be holy and grow in holiness, let’s avail ourselves of the opportunity to come closer to God. All our activities, relationships, and services for the common good should draw us closer to God. It is then that all we do is sanctified. Walking in the footsteps of the Lord wherever we are and in whatever we think and do, all by God’s grace, is living a holy life. 

You know where to find God in the most unique way. You know where God has made himself perpetually present in such a way that you can see him, touch him, and be with him—the Church in worship; more importantly, in the Eucharist.
 
Praying for the grace of holiness of life. Amen. 

God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu

[Tuesday Week 8 Ordinary Time of the Year: Readings Sir 35:1-12; Mark 10:28-33]
 
 

 
Grace to you!
 
In today’s reflection, drawing from the Lord’s message in Luke 6:39-45, I share what I consider three ideas for effective, credible witnessing to Christ. They include honest self-examination, producing fruits of righteousness, and speaking words that flow from grace. 
 
True and honest self-examination.The good witness of the Lord is one who is thoroughly self-aware. The person listens to the Lord and intentionally examines himself or herself so as to constantly align to the core values of the Lord’s mission. This self-examination would help us to pay attention to how to improve ourselves and be less judgmental of others. The more judgmental we are of others may mean we are not seriously paying attention to our own weaknesses. Often, we tend to focus on the faults of others while giving ourselves a pass for our own misdeeds. 
 
The Lord asks us: “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck thatis in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye” (Lk 6:41-42).”
 
Producing fruits of righteousness.Sometimes, we tend to believe that how we live our lives matters less than what we say. Actually, true credibility isn’t just a matter of what we say or preach. Rather our entire person, words, nonverbals plus actions, reveal so much about who we are. You can be sure that people’s actions, especially when they are in their relaxed, unguarded mood, reveal so much about what is happening inside. If the inside is deeply rooted in God’s Word, if the inside of us is truly renewed and pure, our actions would be consistent with those holy qualities. 
 
Saint Paul reminds us that anyone led by the Spirit of God, that is, a person converted from within and transformed by the Holy Spirit, necessarily produces fruits of righteousness (see Gal 5:22-23). Those fruits are virtuous qualities or skills such as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23).So, if you want to know what is inside of you and to what extent your heart has been transformed by the Lord, see if your behavior is consistent with these qualities. 
 
Also, in addition to these fruits are others which flow from the authentic life of Christ. It is being able to draw others to Christ through our lifestyle. When people can see us, hear us, observe our actions, and give glory to God because of us (Mt 5:16), then that is a sign of living the life of Christ. Our lives bear fruit if they draw others to the Lord. 
 
Gracious Words.The Lord says: “…for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Lk 6:45). What we say reveals what is locked deep in our hearts. Some say, it doesn’t matter what we say. What matters is whether we mean it or not. Actually, for me, I believe what we say matters whether we mean it or not. 
 
Why would a child of God say something that does not glorify God while knowing he or she doesn’t mean it? Why tell lies or use foul words when we know we don’t mean it? It actually leaves a bad taste to do so. Doesn’t it?  
 
Moreover, we forget that the words we speak are the extension of ourselves. Our words carry with them some aspects of our thoughts. They convey our deep thoughts in different ways. We may give excuses about how little they represent us. Yet, those excuses are simply evading the reality that manifests itself from our unconscious. Our words reveal us. Scripture says, “the expression of a thought discloses the cultivation of a man’s mind” (Sir 27:6). The best way to know a person is through what they say, write, and do. Those are the keys to getting to the hidden mind. Those are all we have got to assess anyone. Only God sees the inside and we are not God. 
 
Hence, the credible witness of the Lord is the one whose words and actions are consistent with their claimed encounter with the Lord. This is the message the Lord wants us to bear in mind today. 
 
Praying that the Good Lord will give us the grace to speak and act in ways that manifest what we believe as those born anew in Christ. I also pray with Saint Paul that we may“be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord our labor is not in vain” (1 Cor 15:58). Amen. 
 
God love you. God bless you.  
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
[8thSunday Ordinary Time: Sir 27:4-7; 1 Cor 15:54-57; Lk 6:39-45]

Grace to you!
 
You walk past a classmate or someone you know from childhood. The person looks younger and well nourished. Perhaps you work hard to be in shape and the person doesn’t. Here the person is looking like what you would’ve dreamed for yourself. You wonder: What is the secret? 
 
From time to time, we ask this sort of question. We see a senior citizen who looks like we would love to look when we are aging. We ask, what is the secret? 
 
Borderline, everyone wants to look younger and refreshed. Everyone wants to be like a leafy greenish garden. Everyone wants to blossom wherever they are, wherever they are planted. Anti-aging industries exploit this desire of ours. For good or for bad, they do. 
 
God’s Word in Scripture has an incredible message for us today. It is delivered in a way that leaves us with an either-or-situation. It leaves us with a choice to make, a life-long commitment to consider. It proposes the secret of fruitiness, and spiritual blossoming. It offers the answer to lasting happiness as well as its opposite. 
 
Prophet Jeremiah, announcing the word of God, declares it in a way that may be shocking to our modern sensitivities. Yet he doesn’t leave us to second guess concerning the meaning of the challenge. 
 
He places absolute trust in people for our happiness and overall blessings as putting ourselves in the way of a cause (Jer 17:5). In other words, it is setting ourselves up for a colossal disappointment and failure. 
 
One may quibble about how daring is the claim of the prophet. Or how archaic it may sound. Just like some laugh out loud concerning Jesus’ model of messiahship—the scandal of the cross and God’s forsakenness. Yet we know through life experiences that no one would ignore the reality of human slipperiness. 
 
The issue isn’t only about the question of the variable quality of human reliability. It’s also a question of the unpredictability of human nature as a temporal being, as it is about how uncertain is the future. You may believe that your dad, mom, spouse, friend or relative, who has all the resources, would set you up on a road to incredible success. Such is naively presumptuous. Even if they mean well, they don’t have control over the future. One unforeseen change in their life could alter everything. Not to talk of how frail human beings can be and how many times their promises are disappointing. We tend to over promise and under perform. 
 
Contrast this with the proposal of the prophet: “Blessed is the man (person) who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He (the person) is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit” (Jer 17:7-8).
 
Such a person shares a common quality with the poor (Lk 6:20), in spirit, as the Gospel of Matthew specifies (Mt 5:3); whose hope, confidence is the Lord. 
 
I love the metaphor of a tree planted by the water that sends its roots by the stream. In their commentary on this text, Barclay M. Newman Jr. and Philip C. Stine (2003), suggest that the stream could be better understood as a canal (p.403). You do not need to travel far to see how trees planted by the canal or aqueduct blossom. They have enough water to get rooted, flourish and produce plenty. 
 
This biblical message corelates to the promise in Psalm 1. The Psalmist talks about the incredible blessings of trusting in the Lord, delighting in God’s law, and meditating on it. In other words, the person is walking in the light of God’s word and promises. Such a person, the Psalmist says, is “like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Ps 1:1-3).  
 
Saint Thomas Aquinas was spot on when he identified this stream of water with the grace of God which reaches us in Christ (Aquinas, Commentary on Psalm 1). It is the Spirit of the Christ. As the Lord Jesus speaking of himself declares: “Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water” (Jn 7:38-39). 
 
The Lord Jesus, from whom this “rivers of living water flows”, offers us an uncommon path to flourish. The plan mapped for us contrasts with the ways we tend to imagine success. As usual, the Lord offers a revolutionary and yet absolutely true and reliable blueprint for blessedness. Blessings are tied to God’s kingdom and enduring value. Lack of blessings isn’t in being materially poor, or unpopular or rejected by people. It is much more. (Read the message in Luke 6:20-26). Ultimately, the Lord sheds light on the blessing of anchorage in God and blessings rooted in God’s reign and grace. 
 
Trusting in God is being solidly rooted in the canal of grace. It is being guaranteed of true happiness and joy and peace and blessing. People change. Life changes. Our physical health and body may give way. Friends and family may flounder. The Lord never fails. God’s grace abides. 
 
Blessed is anyone who trusts in the Lord. Trust in the Lord is our flourishing.
 
May God gives us the grace of being rooted in Divine Word and promises. Amen. 
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu
 
 
[6th Sunday Ordinary Time C: Jer 17:5-8; I Cor 15:12, 16-20; Lk 6:17, 20-26]
 
 

Grace to you!
 
In today’s reflection, I share one of the most encouraging truths about God’s relationship with us. God chooses and commissions the sinner, the imperfect like you and me, for the incredible work of grace. 
 
You may have met people who have had a special encounter with the Lord. It could be the devout woman who is your next-door neighbor, the pastor of your church who is living an exemplary spiritual life or your friend whose commitment to the Lord is amiable. Listening to their story is fascinating. Yet we notice that in their story, we may find one aspect or another of ourselves.
 
You will notice that the closer one is to the Lord, the more evident one’s weaknesses become. The called and chosen of the Lord aren’t people who fall from the skies and are dotted with the perfection of the angels. They aren’t individuals who never indulged or used bad language. Neither are they people who never had the temptation to exaggerate, play pranks or deal with lustful and prideful passions. They aren’t people who never missed their prayers and always behaved in a way that is and is seen as complete integrity. In fact, some of them were a mess just like many of us are. They were mired with the mud of human brokenness and smelled the dirt of imperfections smeared all over their body through their indiscretions.  
 
Once I told someone that when your weaknesses as a person become more evident to you, you know you are truly making headway in your spiritual life. Our weaknesses are evident to us when God is closest. The farther away we are from God, the more we assume we are perfect. 
 
On earth, God’s best friends are sinners. The Lord came to call the sinner not the righteous (Mk 2:17; Lk 5:32). In the same way, the Lord calls and chooses those who are attuned to his redeeming grace. It is those who recognize that God is holy, and I am not. God is perfect, I am not perfect. 
 
This reality is evident in the biblical stories of the call of the prophets to the call of the apostles. Indeed, those called and chosen are people who realize that it is by the grace of God that we can have a relationship with God. From the call of Isaiah, to the call of Peter and Paul, the story is consistent. 
 
Isaiah saw a glimpse of the Lord’s glory and holiness. This is a sharp contrast to his own weaknesses, for the light of the glory of the Lord shines upon us and we see our own dark spots.  Fully aware of his own weaknesses, Isaiah cried: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lordof hosts!” (Is 6:5). 
 
Same with the call of Simon the fisherman. Simon (Peter), the one called and chosen to be the leader of the Church, wasn’t perfect either. When he met Jesus by the Sea of Galilee, he saw his unworthiness, fell at the knees of Jesus and said: “Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Lk 5:8).
 
St. Paul’s recount of his call by the Lord Jesus in 1Cor 15 equally acknowledges his weakness and the supremacy of God’s grace in his calling. “By the grace of God” he said, “I am what I am” (1Cor 15:10). He was referring to the choice made of him by the Lord to be an apostle though he was unworthy of it.
 
There are numerous examples like these in the Bible. So, don’t suppose that because of your weaknesses God can’t use you to bless his people. In fact, you are the right candidate for God’s call. Always remember the saying “God does not call the perfect but perfects the called.”
 
Praying that we will be attuned to the call of God’s grace as it stirs our hearts to respond to the invitation to follow the Lord in the way of righteousness. Amen.
 
God love you.  God bless you.
 
[Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Is 6: 1-2a, 3-8; 1Cor 15:1-11 or15:3-8, 11; Lk 5:1-11]

Grace to you!
 
Many look up to church leaders for spiritual guidance. When they are in doubt, they want a word that will inspire and guide them. More often than not, when they ask a priest, for instance, to clarify certain issues regarding the faith, it’s because they feel something isn’t right. Or rather, they are in a situation of moral and/or ethical dilemma and want to make the right choice. The sense of faith of God’s people, which is an ongoing gift of discernment granted by the Holy Spirit, is well and alive, from generation to generation. One doesn’t need be a theologian before one could perceive what is right or wrong in their relationship with God. 
 
Take for instance, a person who comes to a priest and asks if masturbation is sinful. The person is probably already tacitly convinced about the sin of masturbation but needed an affirmation. Or it could be the person’s well-formed conscience is indicating such an action isn’t in line with Godly life. The priest would be misleading the person if he made light of what the person already senses is sinful. 
 
From time to time, we hear heart-breaking stories of religious leaders who mislead the people. It’s scandalous to do so. I pray God to help us not to mislead God’s people. 
 
As I read the Letter to the Hebrews(13:17-18), I am more drawn to the aspect of the role of the Christian leader. “Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Heb 13:17).  
 
While the writer of the letter was admonishing the believers to make the works of ministers easier, by their docility of faith to the truth and their leaders’ guidance, he was indirectly speaking to the scary and unworthy responsibility of religious leaders in being accountable for the spiritual growth of the flock entrusted to them. 
 
To watch over the soul of any person is a scary task. Could it be one of the reasons a holy man like Saint Bernard refused to be a priest? It was said he insisted he was unworthy to offer the sacraments, especially Mass and Confession. Watching over souls sounds to me like more humbling and scarier than any adventure. 
 
It implies we should approach this with utter respect and reverence. As stewards, unworthy of it, may we always reflect on the sacred duty entrusted to us. 
 
A soul, a heart, a person is more valuable than anything. May cheap popularity not be a tradeoff for proper guidance of souls. 
 
I am reminded as a priest that my calling and responsibility is to lead people to Christ, not away from him. Lead people to the truth, not away from the truth. Lead people to grace, not make them abhor grace. Lead people to divine mercy and divine love. 
 
May God give ordained ministers the grace to approach our responsibilities with the reverence due to it. Amen
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 
 
[Saturday Week 5 Ordinary Time: Heb 13:15-17, 20-21; Mk 6:30-34]

Grace to you!
 
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux(Theresa of the Child Jesus) left the modern time a rich example of religious tenderness and divine love lived in everyday life. From her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, I learn a simple, but profound, experience of a personal encounter with God’s Word. 
 
Just like many struggling to figure out their vocation or unique mission in life, Saint Theresa, popularly known as The Little Flower, was constantly searching. Finding one’s niche in the world isn’t an easy task. 
 
Like many, The Little Flower was torn between identifying her unique mission in life and following the paths of others no matter how praiseworthy those may be. She tried to practice the asceticism of mystics such as Saint Catherine of Sienna, but her weak health wouldn’t carry her through. The erudite examples of great masters of theology such as Saints Augustine, Bonaventure and Aquinas were not an option either. Theresa wasn’t equipped for such, having had very little formal education. She tried everything she could. The harder she tried, the more frustrated she became. 
 
One day, she came across a particular text in Scripture, the famous line from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians, chapter thirteen, whose theme is on love. As she read the text, it lit like fire in her heart. God was speaking to her personally, addressing her specific concerns. It was the right time and the right place in her spiritual journey. “I have found it: my vocation is to love,” she exclaimed. 
 
Encounter with God’s word is ever revealing. Its piercing impact in the deepest part of our being is unequalled. Knowledge of God’s word reveals our true self. It sheds light upon our path in life. 
 
Scripture says, “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account” (Heb 4:12-13, NRSV). 
 
God’s Word is first and foremost a person, “Before him no creature is hidden.” God’s Word is the Eternal Logos, Christ, who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Isn’t it why the metaphor used here in The Letter to the Hebrews is spot-on? No one who meets Jesus remains the same. In him, we find divine insights and better understanding of our inner struggles. In whose ever house Jesus comes, everything comes alive. He is alive forever. The Lord is the light of the world and following him lights up our life (Jn 8:12) and makes clear our ways. 
 
Similarly, God’s words are divine messages spoken to humanity, some of which are documented in Scripture. When you read the bible, don’t you see how, from time to time, a particular text you may have read over and over again, comes at you with a fresh idea and piercing impact, validating the good you do and stirring your heart for a change if you are heading in the wrong direction. 
 
Or consider when we are participants at the Eucharistic celebration; a divine whisper through the entire event uncovers the hidden realities deep within our soul. Those moments are precious. Sometimes we witness that goose-pimple impact of an encounter with God’s Word at Sacred Worship. 
 
God’s Word is alive and effective. If we encounter God’s Word, we come alive too. 
​
Lord, grant us the grace to hear as you continue to speak. Amen. 
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 
 
[Saturday week 1 Ordinary Time: Heb 4:12-16; Mk 2:13-17]

 Grace to you!
 
Consider how you feel after long hours of deep, uninterrupted sleep. You awake feeling well rested. You’re refreshed and rejuvenated; aren’t you?  
 
Rest is a powerful human experience. Rest after work or rest from worries is refreshing. We’re wired to rest after work. 
 
Rest points to peace or it’s aligned to it. Using the deep sleep analogy above, you would notice that if you aren’t at peace with your situation or a particular event of the day, it could affect your rest. Many times, it affects your sleep as well. It is difficult for a troubled heart to have a refreshing rest. We need peace to rest well. We need peace for a joyful life. 
 
Rest also happens in the spirit. When the joy of the Lord fills our heart, we experience in small ways the heavenly happiness, joy and peace. We feel at rest. As St. Augustine says, “our hearts find rest in the Lord.” This rest is a preview of the fulness of joy and peace the believer will experience during our final homecoming in heaven. 
 
In our day to day activities as believers, we see that such peace manifests in joyful life and expressions. It is the joy of the Lord. For those who experience this rest, they know it’s far more than any pleasure or refreshment worldly things could offer. 
 
The Letter to the Hebrews (4:1-5) speaks of rest. As I pointed out yesterday, that rest or “place of rest” or “God’s rest” as adapted by the text, uses Moses’ typology of the journey of Israel in the wilderness in the Book of Exodus, and points us to eternal rest through faith in Christ. It points to when we will see God face to face. 
 
The Letter to the Hebrews presents faith and fidelity to God through grace as the access code to this rest. It is faith in the Christ, whose life is the rest and in whom one has that eternal sabbath (rest). The 19th century Christian poet, Margaret Mackay, in her 1832 lyrics, “Asleep in Jesus! Blessed Sleep” captures in poetic verses, some of the qualities of this sleep for those who pass in the Lord. Beautiful old hymn.
 
There is a temporal dimension to this rest too. The rest isn’t simply something we have to achieve in the final homecoming. We begin it now. We begin to experience it now too. 
 
For the believer, we have deep within our heart and soul the peace and rest that go with faith in the risen Lord. We are content. Such contentment is a sign of that rest. We have peace of soul, the kind granted to those whose ways are pleasing to the Lord. As the Lord says, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you” (Jn 14:27). 
 
What we are to witness in the eternal sabbath we already witness and see in the here and now, though, as St. Paul says, “In a mirror dimly” (1 Cor 13:12). 
 
In other words, the rest is a process whose final fulfilment is when we will see the Lord face to face, having kept faith lived in charity. 
 
I pray for you in a special way today: May God grant you the grace of inner peace; remove from you, obstacles to inner peace and joy; and grant you the grace to overcome. Bless you with peace and contentment, so your present moment will be a taste of the joy to come. Amen. 
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 
 
 
[Friday Week 1 Ordinary Time: Heb 4:1-5, 11; Mk 2:1-12]