Grace to you and Happy Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

On this special day, may I share a poem I composed in 2016 on the Birthday of Mary (September 8). 

The poem flowed from a deep love for Mary, the Immaculate Conception, the Mother of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To her intercession, I attribute my self-awareness of God's love and life in my poor soul. She is one of the pillars of my spiritual life and the spiritual life of many of those I know deeply in love with Christ in the Trinity of Love. The poem is entitled, The Lady I Love So Much. 

As you read the poem, remember to present to the Blessed Lord Jesus, the petitions so dear to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, namely conversion of sinners. The three secrets of Fatima, indeed, the messages of Mother Mary during the six consecutive Apparitions to Lucia, Francesco, and Jacinta from May 13 to October 13, 1917; and the three preceding visions of the Angel, remind us of the urgency to pray and offer sacrifices for the conversion of sinners. We are also to do reparation for sins against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Pray this Angel Prayer which was revealed by the Angel of Portugal to the three children of Fatima: 
O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners.

A day like this would be apt to say the rosary before Our Lady of Fatima's statue or any statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I love the Our Lady of Grace statue too. Divine Graces abound on this Feast Day. 
Pray for the Immaculate Heart of Mary's triumph in the world and the end to abortion and social structures of sin such as racism, discrimination, and injustice. 

Pray also for the safety of healthcare practitioners as they are at the forefront of COVID-19 care. Ask the Lord for healing from COVID-19 and the pain and suffering many people are passing through during this period. 

Pray for the pope, the bishops, the clergy, and religious for the grace of apostolic zeal and holiness of life. Pray for married people for the grace of holy, joyful, and sacrificial love for one another and fidelity in their marriage bonds. Pray for singles for the grace of pure love. 

Pray for families, the domestic church to be a fruitful sanctuary of the Lord in their unique ways as "the church of the home." 

Pray! Pray!! Pray!!!

Click here to read the poem….
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 

 
Grace to you!
 
Imagine how the world would have been if there were no community, no communion and no love? Could you fathom a scenario where there was only one person on the face of the planet without family, friends, no cries of babies, no “hellos”, no “see you tomorrow”, and no “goodnight?”
 
Such a world would be a nightmare. I wouldn’t like to be in such a world, and I guess you wouldn’t either. God didn’t wish it for us to live life in such a manner. From the start of creation, communion, relationship was included in the plan. 
 
Desire for relationship, for communion, or for reaching out to others, is ingrain in human nature. By nature we are social beings. It’s one of the Creator’s gifts to us. 
 
This truth is well captured in the Genesis account of creation (Gen 2:18-25). The text writes of God’s plan for us to be in relationship. It also writes of divine ordained will for marriage. 
 
God sees being alone, alone not just for a moment, but for the entirety of one’s life as not good. Recall God declared good, all He created (Gn 1:4, 10,12,18, and 25). But for the man to be alone, God said, “It is not good” (Gen 2:18). 
 
Have you ever felt alone? Not necessarily in the physical sense, but emotionally and spiritually. At those moments, don’t you feel the weight of abandonment, or sometimes, don’t you get depressed? Those moments remind us of this word of God regarding the terrible nature of being alone. From being alone, loneliness could be next in line. Loneliness isn’t a blessing we would wish on anyone. 
 
Loneliness is overcome when love, true love, agape, finds a friend. Married people can also feel lonely, though married and not alone. A heart-to-heart communion is the answer to loneliness. For the married, this is found when the two are truly soul mates, bonded by the love of the triune God. The grace of love-communication keeps the fire of love alive, preventing loneliness. 
 
For those not married, such as those who promised perpetual virginity, celibacy or simply those who are single for one reason or another, this is found when the soul is in love with the Communion of Love, the Trinity. 
 
Love in the Trinity is the ultimate answer to loneliness. You know it, for instance, when you are alone, or with someone, yet you feel lonely, and then you allow the grace of divine communion to enwrap your heart with the touch of divine love. You feel the world all around you, though you may be alone. One with God is one in communion. 
 
Communion, companionship, community provide a refreshing avenue for us to be what God has intended for us. God knows we need each other. God provided that we relate with each other. More, our hearts need communion with their Maker. 
 
Our hearts are made in such a way that they are open for such relationships. Marriage is the excellent example of this in human society. Communion with God is the perfection of it in eternity. 
 
For the alone, be assured of the communion of the Trinity. For the married, be confident you are made for each other for love. 
 
Praying for God’s blessings and renewal of the love of married people. May the Lord invigorate singles and those who made vows of celibacy with the grace flowing from the communion of the Trinity. To the lonely, may grace of communion abide. Amen
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu 
 
[Thursday Week 5 Ordinary Time: Gn 2:18-25; Mk 7:24-30]
 

Grace to you!
 
Imagine how the world would have been if there were no community, no communion and no love? Could you fathom a scenario where there was only one person on the face of the planet without family, friends, no cries of babies, no “hellos”, no “see you tomorrow”, and no “goodnight?”
 
Such a world would be a nightmare. I wouldn’t like to be in such a world and I guess you wouldn’t either. God didn’t wish it for us either. Hence, from the start of creation, communion, relationship was included in the plan.
 
Desire for relationship, for communion, or for reaching out to others, is ingrain in human nature. By nature we are social beings. It’s one of the Creator’s gifts to us.
 
This truth is well captured in the Genesis account of creation (Gen 2:18-25), which speaks of God’s plan for us to be in relationship, and his ordained will for marriage.
 
God sees being alone, alone not just for a moment, but for the entirety of one’s life as not good. Recall God declared good, all He created. But for the man to be alone, He said, “It is not good” (Gen 2:18).
 
Have you ever felt alone? Not necessarily in the physical sense, but emotionally and spiritually. At those moments, don’t you feel the weight of abandonment, or sometimes, don’t you get depressed? Those moments remind us of this word of God regarding the terrible nature of being alone. From being alone, loneliness could be next in line. Loneliness isn’t a blessing we would wish on anyone.
 
Loneliness is overcome when love, true love, agape, finds a friend. Married people can also feel lonely, though married (not alone). A heart-to-heart communion is the answer to loneliness. For the married, this is found when the two are truly soul mates, bonded by the love of the triune God. The grace of love-communication keeps the fire of love alive, preventing loneliness.
 
For those not married, such as those who promised perpetual virginity, celibacy or simply those who are single for one reason or another, this is found when the soul is in love with the Communion of Love, the Trinity.
 
Love in the Trinity is the ultimate answer to loneliness. You know it, for instance, when you are alone, or with someone, yet you feel lonely, and then you allow the grace of divine communion to enwrap your heart with the touch of divine love. You feel the world all around you, though you may be alone. One with God is one in communion.
 
Communion, companionship, community provide a refreshing avenue for us to be what God has intended for us. God knows we need each other. God provided that we relate with each other. More, our hearts need communion with their Maker.
 
Our hearts are made in such a way that they are open for such relationships. Marriage is the excellent example of this in human society. Communion with God is the perfection of it now and in eternity.
 
For the alone, be assured of the communion of the Trinity. For the married, be confident you are made for each other for love.
 
Praying God continues to bless and renew the love of married people and invigorate singles by the communion of the Trinity. Amen
 
God love you. God bless you.
 
Fr. Maurice Emelu