Posts by Fr. Maurice Emelu
Christ is Risen. Alleluia!
In this sacred season of Easter 2026, we celebrate the victory of Christ over death and the renewal of hope, purpose, and life. We celebrate our salvation in Christ, in whom and through whom we are victorious. The empty tomb proclaims that light overcomes darkness and that God’s transforming grace is alive in our midst. …
Read MoreWhat is Jesus Worth to Me?
There comes a quiet but decisive moment in the spiritual life when everything turns on a single question. What is the Lord Jesus worth to me? Besides Genesis’s iconic depiction of the choice between freedom, trust, and obedience versus going our own way (cf. Gn 2-3), from the earliest moments, the people of God as…
Read MoreThe Beatitudes
You may already know that the Sermon on the Mount is more than the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes form its opening movement, not its entirety. Yet, like a doorway into a house, they shape how everything else is understood. As Jesus begins with the Beatitudes, he tells us immediately what kind of life leads to true…
Read MoreThe Lord Bless You: Beginning the Year With God
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24–26). The Church opens the New Year with a blessing. As the calendar turns, God invites us to receive peace and guidance. On this…
Read MoreHope at the Edge of Loss
The First Week of Advent always arrives with a quiet light of divine invitation, hope, and trust. This year, that light meets us through the shadow of a great loss. On Saturday at 6:17 p.m., the final hour of the last day of the liturgical year, our brother and friend, Paul Verderber, completed his journey home…
Read MorePaul Verderber Has Passed
It is with profound sorrow that I share the heartbreaking news of the passing of our president at Gratia Vobis Ministries, Paul Verderber. Paul died yesterday, Nov. 29, at 6:17 p.m., surrounded by his beloved wife, Mary Ann, their two daughters, Alice and Elisa, their husbands, and two grandchildren. He also leaves behind his sister,…
Read MoreAre These the End Times?
The year is slowly winding down. We feel it in the shorter days, the cooler air, and the quiet sense that another chapter is closing. In two weeks, the Church’s liturgical year will end, and Advent will usher in a new beginning. The readings at this time of the year reflect that movement: things wind…
Read MorePersistent Prayer: Staying the Course With God
Prayer sits at the heart of the spiritual life, and Jesus teaches it through his words and actions. As God, he did not need to pray, yet he prayed constantly, showing us how vital prayer is for communion with the Father. He began his ministry with fasting and prayer (Matthew 4:2; Luke 4:2). A disciple,…
Read MoreFinding Home in the Heart of the Church
The Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica is a reminder that the Church is our home in God. It is also an invitation to reverence God in our bodies as God’s living temple. The Church refers to the Lateran Basilica as “Mater et Caput,” meaning “mother and head” of all churches. It holds…
Read MoreAll Saints: Communion and Remembrance
I rise this morning with the quiet joy that this day holds, a holy day, a luminous remembrance of all the saints who have gone before us, those who lived, breathed, and died in faith. Their lives, like ancient constellations, still shine through history, revealing for us the glory of the living God. When I…
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