Posts by Fr. Maurice Emelu
New Year Blessings
The new year is a time to reflect on the blessings of one’s life and how we can grow in blessing others. Moreover, it is ultimately a celebration of a new year to render our hearts and lives as a sacrifice of praise to the Lord, a blessing through grace. Blessing from Above to those…
Read MoreAbundant Life from the Mountain
It’s Advent Day-4. I reflect on the symbolism of the mountain as a place of divine revelation, and the Church as its true meaning. The Great Invitation The prophecy of Isaiah 25:6 sets the ecstatic tone of God’s invitation to us: “On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples.” Nothing could be…
Read MoreAll Saints: The Communion of Saints
All Saints Day—November 1—is a unique opportunity to reflect on divine blessings for us in the communion of saints. The saints in heaven lived holy lives and died in the Lord. They motivate us to do the same. Some celebrations cater to our bodily and emotional needs. Some inspire confidence and fulfillment. Others promote a…
Read MoreA Girl that Changed My Life: Way of Love
As a boy of fourteen years old, the life of one girl moved mine more than any other—showing me the way of love. The girl is Thérèse, from the little city of Lisieux in Calvados, France. She is popularly known as the Little Flower, Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus. To her, I owe an early exposure to…
Read MoreMiss Not the Opportunity for Healing
There are numerous opportunities for healing and divine encounter around us, yet few notice. It’s this reality in our spiritual life that I address in today’s reflection, drawing inspiration from the life of Christ. The Lord’s Humanness One of the things that fascinates me about the life of Christ as documented in the Bible is…
Read MoreThe Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Any feast of the Blessed Mother Mary fills my heart with joy; so is the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Holy tenderness of the mother of God spurs in my heart a prayerful contemplation of the function of grace in the life of any person who accepts Jesus as Lord and…
Read MoreFaith in the Bread of Life, the Eucharist
The seed of faith grows and deepens, and the Eucharist is the best food for such faith-deepening. This religious truth is the focus of today’s reflection. After the miracle of the feeding of five thousand (Jn 6:1-15, 24-35), the Lord Jesus Christ leaves the western shore of the sea of Galilea, also called the sea…
Read MoreRediscovering Intercession
I reflect on the need to rediscover the power of intercession in our spiritual and everyday lives. I am always fascinated by the sacrifices soldiers make for each other at the battlefront. They put their lives on the line to bring wounded comrades to safety, often carrying them on their shoulders amidst the whizzing sound…
Read MoreKnowledge is Power: Learning from St. Justin
Francis Bacon is a 16th century English philosopher, father of empiricism and the scientific method. In his argument against heresies, he defends divine intelligence, omniscience, and omnipotence by providing a famous line many people quote out of context. “For knowledge itself is a power whereby he [God] knoweth” (Meditationes Sacrae,1597. 71). Though some of his…
Read MoreUsing Stumbling Blocks as Stepping Stones
In today’s reflection, I inspire us to use stumbling blocks as stepping stones. Have you observed how trickles of water flow from rocks in a creek? The water follows different paths but merges into a spring, a lake, a river, or an ocean. For the most part, the water flows through rough and twisted tracks.…
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