CATHOLIC BISHOPS BARE THEIR MINDS ON THE FGN

AN ADDRESS PRESENTED BY THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF NIGERIA (CBCN) ON THE OCCASION OF A COURTESY CALL ON HIS EXCELLENCY MOHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, THURSDAY, 8 FEBRUARY 2018

Your Excellency,

Preamble

We, the representatives of the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, bring you our cordial greetings and blessings. We desired this meeting, in order to continue the dialogue we initiated with you even before your election as President. We therefore thank you for granting us this audience, which affords us the opportunity to share with you, once again, our thoughts and concerns on some issues affecting our dear country, Nigeria.

 First, we thank God for bringing you back to us healthier and stronger after a period of ill health. We hope and pray that you continue to make progress on the way to full recovery, in order to be able to face the enormous challenges emanating from your exalted office.

 Your Excellency, needless to say that, as President, you are the Father of our dear country Nigeria. It is therefore pertinent that as loyal citizens as well as informed members of the society we come to you from time to time to express not only our willing cooperation with the government in working for the progress of our country, but also to share with you the feelings of the multitude of Nigerians at this moment. We work with the people at the grassroots and, therefore, have first-hand information about what they are going through.

There is no doubt that when you came into office, you had an enormous amount of the goodwill of Nigerians, since many saw you as a person of integrity who would be able to bring sanity into a system that was nearly crippled by endemic corruption. Nearly three years later, however, one has the feeling that this good will is being fast depleted by some glaring failures of government which we have the moral duty to bring to your notice, else we would be failing in our duty as spiritual fathers and leaders.

Our Concerns

Your Excellency, there is too much suffering in the country: poverty, hunger, joblessness, insecurity, violence, fear… the list is endless. Our beloved country appears to be under siege. Many negative forces seem to be keeping a stranglehold on the population, especially the weaker and defenseless ones. There is a feeling of hopelessness across the country. Our youths are restive and many of them have taken to hard drugs, cultism and other forms of violent crime, while many have become victims of human trafficking. The Nation is nervous.

 Just as we seem to be gradually emerging from the dark tunnel of an economic recession that caused untold hardship to families and individuals, violent attacks by unscrupulous persons, among whom are terrorists masquerading as herdsmen, have led to a near civil war situation in many parts of the country. We are saddened that repeatedly innocent citizens in different communities across the nation are brutally attacked and their sources of livelihood mindlessly destroyed. Property, worth billions of Naira, including places of worship, schools, hospitals and business enterprises are torched and turned to ashes. We are still more saddened by the recent massacre of unarmed citizens by these terrorists in some communities in Benue, Adamawa, Kaduna and Taraba States which has caused national shock, grief and outcry. What is even more distressful is that the government, whose responsibility it is to protect the life and property of every citizen seems either incapable or unwilling to do this. The silence of the federal government in the wake of these horrifying attacks is, to say the least, shocking. There is a feeling of helplessness among the people and the danger that some people may begin to take laws into their hands.

We therefore earnestly urge the government to take very seriously its primary responsibility of protecting the lives and property of its citizens and ensure that such mindless killings do not reoccur. Herdsmen may be under pressure to save their livestock and economy but this is never to be done at the expense of other people’s lives and means of livelihood. We would like to add our voice to those of other well-meaning Nigerians who insist that a better alternative to open grazing should be sought rather than introducing “cattle colonies” in the country. While thinking of how best to help cattle owners establish ranches, government should equally have plans to help the other farmers whose produce is essential for our survival as a nation.

In a similar vein, daredevil kidnappers, who at present are having a field day, with a feeling of invincibility, must be made to understand that there is a government in this country. Government should invest more in equipping our Police Force with modern high-tech devices that will help them track down and arrest these criminals and make them face the wrath of the law.

The Federal Character Principle is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria:“The government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies” (Section 14, Sub-section 3-4). Disregard for this Principle in some federal government appointments as well as perceptible imbalance in the distribution of federal amenities has created the loss of a sense of belonging in many parts of the country, hence the constant cries of marginalization, agitation for secession and calls for restructuring.

Conclusion and Assurance of Prayers

Our Church has always complemented the efforts of government in such areas as providing quality education and primary health care services to our people. We shall continue to support the effort of the government in nation-building. As the voice of the voiceless, we shall therfore continue to highlight the plight of our people and play our prophetic role of sensitizing the government, thus promoting national unity and cohesion. As we encourage you to spare no effort to build a new Nigeria, we reassure you of our support and prayers for your success.  On the long run,Government under your watch must do all in its power through good policies to restore confidence that government is for all and sundry. Our collective efforts must be seen in the desire to return to the fine principles of democracy such as true federalism, negotiation and consensus building as means of achieving a more equitable distribution of the resources of our country.

Thank you, Your Excellency, for the audience and may God bless you.

Most Rev. Dr. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama 
Archbishop of Jos President, CBCN

Most Rev. Dr. William Avenya 
Bishop of Gboko
Secretary, CBCN

Independence Day-October 1, 2017

 As we pray for our dear country, Nigeria today, may God grant us the grace to always say yes to his plans for us just as our Mother Mary, the Patroness and Queen of Nigeria did. Happy Independence celebration! Happy Solemnity of Our Lady Queen and Patroness of Nigeria! + John I. Okoye 

Doctrine and Faith

(Isaiah 11,1-10; Ephesians 2,13-22; Matt 2, 13-15.19-23: Solemnity of our Lady Queen  and Patroness of Nigeria: Independence Day-October 1, 2017)

The preface of this solemnity opens in the second stanza thus: Through the power of the Holy Spirit she (Mary) became the Virgin Mother of your only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who is forever the light of the world.

The first reading speaks of a new ruler, a new root that sprouts out of the stump of Jesse the father of David. Upon this new ruler rests the Spirit of the Lord, that divine force bestowed on certain individuals that enables them accomplish feats they would never have been able to accomplish left on their own. The gifts bestowed are listed in pairs, each pair pointing to one of the major responsibilities of the new ruler of the new Davidic kingdom. They include: Wisdom and understanding that enable the king to rule with competence and insight; counsel and strength that are necessary for the administration of justice, whether this is executed judicially through the courts or militarily in the battle field; knowledge and fear of the Lord that dispose the ruler to humble reverence toward God, ensuring that the reign is faithful to God’s will. But who could be this new ruler? This new personality, interpreting this passage from prophet Isaiah as referring to a later age than the contemporary epoch of the prophet, is no other than Jesus Christ, who on his coming into the world would be filled with the Holy Spirit. He would be coming to bring salvation, especially, to the poor and the oppressed. His reign would be peaceful and harmonious, reminiscent of the primordial paradise of Eden where animals live in harmony with one another. That during the reign of this new ruler nursing and weaned children will play with snakes and not fear them suggests that human beings will live in the state of innocence and safety. It all means that the ministry of Jesus would eliminate all tensions and hostilities and establish harmony and marvellous peace. Infact, Jesus came into the world to inaugurate universal reconciliation first between humanity and God and then among humanity themselves.

Paul takes up this idea of reconciliatory work of Christ in the second reading when he writes: For He is the peace between us, and has made two into one and had broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus took every one of us into his heart and, as one body, reconciled us to God, and united in the Spirit we all make our way together to the Father. Our reconciliation with the Father gives us the right to be fellow citizens with the holy people of God and part of God’s household.

In today’s gospel reading, we see the generosity with which Joseph caters for the child Jesus and the mother, people entrusted to him and dear to him. As soon as the angel informed Joseph that the child Jesus was in danger he rose without asking questions or offering objections and fled the same night to Egypt, a long journey and in winter cold. Fleeing, he forfeits his job and his house. This did not bother him, for his joy was to protect the new life. Here one considers how the paternity of Joseph participates in divine paternity of God. This is because the one who was actually taking care of Jesus and Mary was God the Father himself. If we want to continue as disciples of Christ, may we imitate the paternity of Joseph in whatever situation we find ourselves in life.

It is noteworthy that all the readings of today, on the solemnity of Mary, the Queen and Patroness of Nigeria only mentioned Mary in passing and as beneficiary of the generous services of Joseph, her husband and foster father of Jesus. But it is to be kept in mind that the prophecy of Isaiah about the new ruler would not have been fulfilled, if Mary had not said yes to the proposal to be the Mother of Jesus, the awaited king from the dynasty of David. If there was no incarnation, the paschal mystery (death and resurrection of Jesus) would not have taken place and Jesus would not have reconciled humanity to God and people to one another. Even the paternal care of Joseph for her and her child as we see in the gospel reading would not have taken place. The place of Mary in the economy of salvation is of paramount importance. Mary is great in many ways. She was full of grace as we learn from the salutation of Archangel Gabriel to her. Her openness to the Holy Spirit made the incarnation possible. Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word. Her faith in God was unshakeable as Elizabeth made us understand: Who am I to be visited by her who believed that what the Lord promised would be fulfilled. It was her charity to assist the pregnant and aged cousin Elisabeth that prompted her to visit Elizabeth. It was also her charity that made her plead with Jesus to save the wedded couple of Cana from embarrassment as their provision of wine got short during their weeding party. The miracle of water into wine occasioned the manifestation of the divinity of Christ and caused his disciples to believe in him. Mary’s relationship with God (that is to say her prayer life) was constant as she treasured every thing in her heart, that is, pondered all the events in her heart (the heart is the organ of reflection and decision) in order to discover the will of God. In the modern social communication parlance one could say she was on line with God in her prayer life. Life was, however, not easy for her, but she bore all with equanimity (calmness and composure, especially in difficult situations) even the most excruciating moments of her life, as she stood by the cross of Jesus. It was as she stood by the cross of Christ that she became our mother when Jesus handed her to the care of John the apostle: Mother, behold your Son and Son behold your Mother. May we her children, here in Nigeria be thankful to Christ for making her mother to be also our mother. We will verily be thanking God, who first honoured Mary, by imitating her as our role model in saying always a big Yes to all the plans of God for us. We will also be showing gratitude to God if we are open to the Holy Spirit as she was, filled with  the Holy Spirit, we will be constantly reconciled to God and to one another. We should therefore, imitate Joseph in his paternal care of Jesus and Mary and follow the Mary’s example in her charity, borne out of faith, to her needy cousin Elisabeth and the newly wedded couple of Cana.  Happy Independence celebrations! Happy Solemnity of Mary, Queen and Patroness of Nigeria! +John I. Okoye

 (pictures by chukwubike)

2nd Sunday of Easter; Year C 2016

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Acts 5, 12-16;  Rev 1,9-11.12-13.17-19; John 20, 19-31: 2nd  Sunday of Easter; Year C  2016)

    It is remarkable to note that the passage of today’s gospel reading is the same for all the gospel readings of the second Sunday of Easter for the three year cycle. This is an indication of its importance in our faith. We note double apparitions of the risen Jesus in the gospel story. The first one took place on the day of the resurrection and the second one eight days later. In the first apparition, Thomas was not there. He would not believe that Jesus rose from the dead and his doubt led him to affirm: Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands…and unless I put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe. In his second apparition, Jesus fulfilled Thomas’ wish when he said to him: Put your finger here…give me your hand, put into my side. Thus Thomas’ doubt was cleared and certainly those of many others too. But what does this gospel passage teach us? Primarily, it teaches that Christ rose from the dead. His showing himself to the disciples and the drama with Thomas are proofs thereof. Thus, the resurrection of Jesus was not a fantasy, nor hallucination. It was not an illusion nor infatuation and certainly not an auto-exaltation of the apostles. It was a lived and documented reality. Peter holds: … Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him (Jesus) both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified (Acts 2,36). What it boils down to, is that there is no need seeking sensible proofs or experimental confirmation of the resurrection of Jesus. At the end of Jesus’ encounter with Thomas, Jesus said to him: You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe. 

    Indications of witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus abound. We reckon with those of the apostles whom God chose before hand, as we have in Acts of the Apostles in 2,3; 3,15; 5,32; 10, 41. Note also the testimony of Sacred Scriptures that was brought about by the encounter of the Risen Jesus with two of his disciples on their way to Emmaus: O how foolish you are…Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory? Then starting with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures (Luke 24, 25-27). We also noted Jesus’ words, where severally he predicted that he would rise from the dead after three days (Matt 17,22-23; 20,19; Mark 8,31; 9,31; Luke 9,22). We have Jesus witnessing to his resurrection in the message He sends to us today in the second reading from the book of Revelation: Do not be afraid; it is I, the First and the Last; I am the Living One. I was dead and now I live forever and I hold the keys of death and the underworld.
    As indicated above the gospel story with its two apparitions, has some messages to convey.  One is that the resurrected body of Christ defied all normal physical laws. There was a profound difference between his mode of being before the resurrection and after the resurrection. That was why he was able to enter their midst in closed doors. The second issue is that his presence and connection with his disciples does not cease. He continues to be with them in a manner not perceptible to the senses, but however, very real. It is a presence that is active and effective, but recognizable only through faith and it is only through faith that we can have experience of him.

    How and where can one have experience with the Risen Christ? Such experience, in the first place, will have to take place in the liturgical community of disciples of Jesus assembled particularly on the Day of the Lord. Note also that the apparition of the Risen Jesus to the favoured servant, John the Apostle, took place on a Sunday, on the Day of the Lord as we see in the 2nd reading from the book of Revelation. We note that absenting ourselves from Sunday Eucharistic assembly we lose, each time, the opportunity to encounter the Risen Christ. The Risen Christ is present in the community of the disciples assembled in his name: For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them (Matt 18,18). The Risen Christ is present in the community of the disciples who listens to His Word: It is His Word which reverberates in our ears; it is still He who speaks when in the Church the Sacred Scriptures are read (Sacrosantum Concilium, no. 7). The risen Christ is present in the community of disciples that celebrates the sacraments, because the sacraments are the actions of Christ himself. Vatican Council has it thus: Christ is present with his power in the sacraments to the extent that when someone baptizes, it is Christ himself that baptizes (Sacrosantum Concilium, no. 7). Again the risen Christ is present in the community of his disciples that celebrates the Eucharist in so far it is He (Risen Christ) himself who celebrates through the ministry of the priest ((Sacrosantum Concilium, no. 7). The Risen Christ is also present in the community that frees someone from the burden of his/her sins through the power of the Holy Spirit which was donated to the Church by the Risen Christ himself: Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you forgive are forgiven them … (John 20,23). The Risen Lord is present in the community of disciples that dedicates itself in the healing and mitigating all types of human infirmity, be it physical or spiritual and in his name (Risen Christ) work miracles and wonders as we have in the first reading. The Risen Christ also resides in the community of disciples that lives in harmony and love as is witnessed in the Acts of the Apostles: The community of believers were of one heart and mind and  no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common (Acts 4, 32). We Christians of Nigeria are challenged to have a strong and lively experience of the multiple form of the presence of the Risen Christ in the community of the disciples, that is to say, in the Church. We do so particularly every Sunday when we gather for the Sunday Eucharist. We should be grateful to God for this. However we are even further challenged to witness and make transparent in our civil communities through the witness of our lives the lively and effective presence of the Risen Christ. This involves much work. Let us, therefore, ask from the Risen Lord, the grace to witness effectively his presence in our midst. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

 

(graphics by blogger)

4TH SUNDAY YEAR C.....BISHOP JOHN I. OKOYE,

DOCTRINE AND FAITH (Jeremiah 1,4-5.17-19;  1 Cor 12,31-13,13; Luke 4,21-30: 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C)     The gospel episode narrating the preaching Jesus delivered in his town tends to show that he was a sign of contradiction as was prophesied by Simeon on the day of his presentation in the temple (Luke 2,34). There were two reactions to his preaching. On one hand, there was the admiration and enthusiasm for the content of his message and for the authority with which he delivered them. On the other hand, there was reaction of hatred against him and rejection of his message, to the extent of planning to kill him. Why? His people were not happy that Jesus did not satisfy their desire and interest, for he did not work many miracles among them as they heard he did elsewhere. Another reason was that Jesus dared to assert that God was not limited by territory and was free to work miracles even outside Israel and in favour of non Israelites, like Naaman, the Syrian and the widow of Zerepath.  Jesus was able to escape their murderous intent. The episode leaves us with a lot of lessons. It is not God who will change his plans to suit ours. It is rather ours that should yield to his. We pray in the Our Father: Your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. The implication of this request is that just as God’s will sways absolutely in heaven, so should it be on earth. What it boils down to, is that in presenting my request to God in prayer, I should be telling God to give me the grace to accept his design, plan and decision on the issue and that I should not be expecting God to change his plans in order to accommodate my request. Another lesson from the episode is that we should not construct the image of Christ according to our own human schemes and preferences but to accept the Messiah as God the Father has presented him to us.  We should also not be his followers only when things go well with us and show him our back when we have difficulties. Our adherence to Christ should not be motivated by desire and quest of physical miracles (We Nigerian Catholics are very guilty of this particular fault) but rather by the content of the message of salvation he came to preach.

The connection between the gospel and the first reading can be seen in the common fate of the two prophets, Jeremiah and Jesus who are the protagonists of the two passages respectively. They suffered from the hands of their very people. The treatment given to Jesus in today’s gospel made him declare: I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country. Their unsuccessful attempt to throw him down the cliff was only a prelude to what eventually happened at Calvary, where he could not escape and had to pay the bitter price of having been the mouthpiece/prophet of God. Jeremiah, though consecrated in the mother’s womb in view of the work of a prophet, did not find it easy as God’s spokesman. His messages from God were often refuted and rejected. He suffered even physically from his adversaries. What sustained Jeremiah in his difficult mission was the consciousness that it was God who sent him on mission and who would sustain him with his divine presence. God assured him: They will fight against you but shall not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you. By virtue of our baptism and our spiritual unction from the Sacrament of Confirmation we share in the prophetic mission of Christ and God sends us into the world as prophets to perform the following: to proclaim the arrival of the kingdom of God through Christ; to be spokesmen/spokeswomen of God and his message of salvation and to be the executors of God’s design of love. In playing our prophetic role, which is a participation in that of Christ, we Christians should be aware that the lot of Christ and that of the prophets will be ours also. We are bound to meet opposition, rejection and persecution. This is because the way of God, that inspires our actions, is diverse from that of the world, indeed oftentimes opposed to it. It means that if we are faithful to our mission as prophets we may not be expecting praises and adulation but misunderstanding and hostility, from the part of the world. But, unfortunately, our life as Christians do not challenge our neighbours because we are too accommodating and our manner of living does not show anything new as we drift on as baptized but not converted Christians.  Our reflection on the prophetic mission of the Christian brings us now to consider charity/love, the queen of all virtues. Charity is an infused supernatural virtue through which we have the capacity to love God as he is and to love ourselves and our neighbours in God and for God. It is a divine, gratuitous gift as Paul so attests: Charity is poured into our souls through the Holy Spirit that is given to us (Romans 5,5). Charity or the capacity to love in the supernatural and divine way does not nullify but rather presupposes the natural capacity to love, from where it has its roots. Therefore, Christian love is a natural and supernatural one, human and divine, just as the love of Christ is. St Paul in his letter to the Corinthians (the second reading of today) has more to say about this queen-virtue, charity. We recommend a reflective and meditative reading of it, using it as an examination of conscience to verify the consistency and coherence of our being authentic Christians. Perhaps, we will be able to remove the illusion from our eyes to realize that our little or great acts of selfishness keep us still too far from practicing charity as Paul presents it to us and as Christ manifested through his teachings and the example of his life. Love of God and neighbour is a sine qua non for any prophet who continues to proclaim the salvific mission of Jesus Christ in the world of today.  Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah’s Sermon on the Occasion of the Thanksgiving of Chief Jim Nwobodo at Holy Ghost Cathedral Enugu on January 10, 2016

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah’s Sermon on the Occasion of the Thanksgiving of Chief Jim Nwobodo at Holy Ghost Cathedral Enugu on January 10, 2016

When I saw two missed calls from Jim Nwobodo over a week ago, I decided to return the call immediately. He sounded quite excited when he answered the call and then went straight to the point. I have good news for you, he said.

I have decided to join the Catholic Church and I want to specially invite you to be at the Mass in Enugu on January 10th. I congratulated him and said I would check with my Diary to see if I had a window. I used the chance to first call the Bishop of Enugu, His Lordship, Bishop Onaga to intimate him of the invitation. He too sounded quite excited and went on to tell me some of the good things that Chief Nwobodo had done for the Catholic Church during his tenure as Governor of Anambra State. 

He added his voice to the invitation and by the time we had ended, he asked if I could take the Sermon for the day. Two days later, I again saw two missed calls or so from His Eminence, Antony Cardinal Okogie, the emeritus Archbishop of Lagos. I returned his call immediately. After the pleasantries, he confirmed enthusiastically that Chief Nwobodo had also invited him. He said despite his health, he would see if he can make the trip. Two days ago, I again saw two missed calls from him.

I returned the call and he said he did not think his health would permit him to make the trip. Please, he said, try and go there to support him and also use the opportunity to represent me too. Cardinal Onaiyekan also said he had been invited but he could not make it. A combination of these star studded invitations left me little room to manouvre and that is why I am here.Understandably, this Cathedral is having one of the biggest crowds it has ever had barring either priestly ordinations or Sisters making their final vows. 

Many people would be tempted to wonder why a simple event of this nature should attract so much attention. Well, I recall what happened in Kano some time in the 80s when most of the prominent Muslims across Nigeria trooped to Kano to formally receive Chief Nzeribe who was alleged to have converted to Islam. Those who remember will recall that the huge crowd finally dispersed because Chief Nzeribe finally did not show up!Our presence here will naturally elicit curiosity among friends and foes. 

There are former and current political and business associates, family friends, school mates and so on. Whatever may be your reasons for being here, we are glad that the Nwobodo family has brought us here to rejoice with them. We are gathered not to judge for as Pope Francis has warned us: Human beings, whenever they judge, look no further than the surface while the father looks into the very depth of the soul. How much harm words do when they are motivated by jealousy and envy. 

To speak ill of others puts them in bad light, undermines their reputation and leaves them prey to whims of gossip. As pastors, we judge no one who approaches God’s door of Mercy to which we are mere gatekeepers. So I am here to encourage Chief Nwobodo to kneel before God and in the words of the publican say, Lord, be merciful to me a sinner (Lk.18:13).Please do not be mistaken. We are not here to celebrate what for some might be a big catch. We are not celebrating a victory, nor should anyone feel a sense of loss or defeat. 

The Catholic Church has not gone out fishing to find Chief Nwobodo. To the extent that we are all Christians, children of God, his decision to come to the Catholic Church is at best a return home. I say return home for reasons that all of us who are Christians already know.

I do not need to bore you, but at least we know that before 1517, every Christian was Catholic. As such, today we know that:

If you are Lutheran the your Church was founded by Fr Martin Luther in Germany in 1517
If you are Menonite, your Church was founded by Grebel, Mantz and Blaurock, in 1525
If you are Anglican, then your Church was founded by King Henry XIII in 1534
If you are a Presbyterian, then your Church was founded by John Knox in 1560
If you are a Congregationalist, then your Church was founded by Robert Brown, in Holland in 1583
If you are Baptist, then your Church was founded by John Smith in Amsterdam, in 1606 If you are a Methodist, then your Church was founded by John Murray in New Jersey, in 1770
If you are a Mormon or Latter Day Saint, then your church was founded by Joseph Smith in New York, in 1829
If you are a Seven Day Adventist, your Church was founded by William Miller in 1831
If you are Salvation Army, then know that your Church was founded by William Booth in 1865
If you are Jehovah Witness, then know that your Church was founded by Charles Russell in 1872Here at home,

if you are Redeemed Christian Church of God, then you know that you were founded in 1952 by Josiah Akindayomi

If you are a member of Deeper Life Bible Church, then you were founded by Pastor William Kumuyi in Lagos in 1973

If you are Mountain of Fire, then you were founded by Dr. Daniel Olukoya in 1989. We can go on and on. 

I am listing this not to denigrate anyone but just to set the records straight. The Catholic Church has remained where it has been since Christ instituted the Eucharist, called the Last Supper. 

We continue to do over and over what He commanded when He uttered those holy words over the bread and cup, take and eat, take and drink and ordered them to do this in His Memory until He comes again (Mt. 26:26). So, we were founded by Jesus Christ, beginning with that gathering at Pentecost (Acts 2:1) over two thousand years ago led by 266 successors of the Chair of St. Peter. 

That is who we are and what we represent.We must give thanks and praise to God our Father Almighty for the gift of the Holy Spirit which has inspired and continues to inspire thousands of men and women to give glory to His name. it is not in our place to judge anyone except that we both as Christians or citizens have a duty to listen to St. John who has enjoined us not to believe everyone who claims to be guided by the spirit. John calls on us to; test every spirit to see if they are from God because many false prophets have gone into the world (1 Jn. 4:1). 

There is no gainsaying that a highly criminalized and fraudulent society has continued to answer the calls of various kinds of spirits and prophets who produce prophesies to suit the social, economic and political fraud of the moment. In a dysfunctional society such as ours, where the corruption of the moment his produced a culture of relativity, we now have a society whose moral compass is constantly shifting to adjust to the expectations of the moment. 

The Nigerian economy and political systems are merely paying lip service to international norms of scientific conduct and relations. Economic prosperity or political processes and outcomes are neither the result of sound economic policies but the magic of spiritual entrepreneurs who prey the political landscape prowling on the unwary with the greed of lions looking for whom to devour (1 Pet 5:8). 

It is not clear whether winners of elections should praise and trust the efficacy of Electoral machinery or the efficacy of prophets and prayer warriors. This moral ambiguity has placed religion under scrutiny. 

What impact has Christianity made in our society? If the illiterate men that Jesus called and finally handed His Gospel to were able to take it to the ends of the earth, how come we are seemingly unable to make the world feel the impact of Christianity? Jesus told His successors to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth, but warned them to drop all earthly means of support and power: Carry no clothes, money, sandals and so on ( Lk. 9:3, 10:4).

Today, it seems the burden of wealth, power and position have become obstacles to the impact of Christianity. On a day like this, we must seek to return to the true message of our Lord and Saviour.Since the election of Pope Francis, the 266th Pontiff on March 13th, 2013, the entire world has had to sit up and see the Catholic Church completely differently. A Church that had been vilified and become morally demoralized has suddenly leapt into public life, re-igniting the world with curiosity, enthusiasm and excitement among non-Catholics, non-Christians and non-believers. 

Today the Catholic Church is enjoying a re-awakening and vitality that was unthinkable barely four years ago. Indeed, on January 4, this year, Deepak Chopra wrote an article which was published on the Yahoo website titled, Will Pope Francis become a Holy Man for the world? The article from a non-Christian was a song of praise for how Pope Francis has brought freshness and simplicity into the Catholic Church leading to a new awakening around the world. 

Chief Nwobodo has responded to this new voice and all we can say is: This is the Lord’s doing, we rejoice and it is marvelous in our eyes (Ps 118: 23, Mk. 12:11).In confronting these realities, Pope Francis has literally set out to re-awaken our consciousness of our understanding of the faith itself and our challenge as evangelisers.

He was barely six months a Pope when he published his Apostolic Exhortation titled, Evangelii Gaudium, the Joy of the Gospel on November 24th, 2014. Central to his message has been the need to re-enkindle the spirit of the joys of the good news brought to us by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He called on Christians not to behave or look like men and women coming back from a funeral but to become joyful. He called on priests not to turn the confessional into torture chambers where penitents experience psychological crisis and pain instead of the liberating message of Christ our Redeemer.Indeed, Pope Francis in the same Document warned Christians of six types of robberies that they must look out against. In order not to be robbed of the joy of the gospel, the Pope enjoins Christians to imbibe the fragrance of the Gospel. Then, he proceeded to warn Christians against being robbed of the Joy of Evangelisation, joy of Hope, joy of a sense of Community, joy of the Gospel, joy of fraternal love, and joy of Missionary vigour. It is against this background that the Holy Father enjoined Consecrated Men and Women to wake up the world to the realities of the joys of being a Christian today.

Another key component of the preoccupation of Pope Francis has been the message of what I will call the Gospel of Mercy. At a time when Nigeria is writhen in the pain and convulsion of corruption, a disease that has ravaged every artery of our body, we must hear this message. Today our disfigured country is paying the price for the affliction of corruption. We now have a country that is more divided than almost at any time in our history, a society largely socially and culturally disoriented, a country where a substantial percentage of office holders are far less competent and motivated towards doing good, than those they lead, a country whose growth has been arrested and stunted. We are paying for the years and years of outrageous and gargantuan corruption perpetuated by the insatiable and irresponsible appetite of its elite. 

Today, with wide oceans of inequality between public officers and the rest of Nigeria, violence and anger are the identity cards carried by the victims.Our leaders say that we cannot develop in an environment of violence and instability. What they fail to accept is that the violence in society is the reaction of the victims. The Pope said: The poor and the poorer peoples are accused of violence, yet without equal opportunities the different forms of aggression and conflict will find a fertile terrain for growth and eventually explode. 

When a society – whether local, national or global – is willing to leave a part of itself on the fringes, no political programmes or resources spent on law enforcement or surveillance systems can indefinitely guarantee tranquility.I want to appeal to the Igbo political and religious elite to close ranks and take charge of the future of the people of this area.

Please learn from the mistakes of the elites elsewhere when politics was allowed to trump the urgent task of community building. You must take charge and by negotiation and using back room channels, improve on the quality of the sound of the music produced by your Youth. Do not ignore them but in patience, process and improve on the quality of their sound. You enjoy ethnic, moral and cultural harmony to a large degree since you loosely speak one tongue and are predominantly Christians. So, as St. Paul said to the Colossians, Let the message of Christ in all its riches fill your hearts, use it to teach and admonish one another (Col 3:16). You have lessons from the tragedy of the war and you have lessons from within and outside Nigeria of allowing youth frustration and restiveness to gestate. 

There is a saying in Hausa: If you see your brother’s beard on fire, put water on your own. Let men and women of courage become peacemakers. The time is now and the place to start is here. May the Lord inspire you. We Catholics, nay Christians, must turn our Religion into a force for good. Today, neo-paganism and Voodooism have combined to poison the message of Christianity. It is a tragedy that while calling themselves Christians, many of our political and economic elite continue to traverse the length and breathe of Nigeria seeking for prophets, priests, to compel God to answer their wishes. The central message of Christ was not miracles or prophesies or even healings, at least not in the dramatic way we now see them as they are calculated to call attention the powerful men of God. While our so called men of God are putting out posters and selling all kinds of dubious wares, they must ask how this compares with Jesus simply went about doing good, Jesus who went into hiding when they were about to take him and make him King by force(Acts 10:30, Jn. 6:15). 

My dear friends, brothers and sisters, this gathering should remind us of the need to remake a broken world such as ours. It is a time for us to recall the father of love and compassion. We are being called by a Merciful God who does not keep record of our sins but asks us to forgive seventy times seven times (Mt. 18:22), the one who overlooked the scandalous lives of men and women unacceptable to society but welcomed by him as in the call of Matthew(Mt. 9:9, or Zacheus, Lk.19:1ff, ate with sinners(Mt. 9:11, or allowed the woman with a bad name and reputation to anoint him and kiss his feet (Lk. 7: 36ff). 

The challenge for us Christians is to ask how we allowed Mercy to slip out of the grammar of Christianity. How did raw power and the quest for vengeance take centre stage in the daily grammar of our lives as we have today? We hear such sayings as Do me I do you, God no go vex, Return to Sender, Holy Ghost fire, all as metaphors for vengeance and the quest for afflictions of our enemies, all in sharp contrast to what Jesus Himself has taught us. We Christians can and must change our world. Again, Pope Francis has said, Do not fall into the terrible trap of thinking that life depends on money and power.So on this day of the baptism of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, may the Lord of mercy let His blessing come down upon us. To our friend and brother Chief Nwobodo, we commit you and your entire family to God asking for mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation. We thank the Anglican Church for nurturing you all these years. Those who think that their loss is our gain are mistaken. We are not building empires or playing politics. We are working in the Lord’s vineyard as His servants. We have a duty to show the light to the rest of our society. So, there is neither room for sulking nor triumphalism, let us close ranks as leaders of Christ’s faithful. 

We should thank Patricia, his wife whose dutiful commitment to the Church must have served as an inspiration both to her husband and children. God bless your family. In the end, we are a family of God’s children and doing His work in faithfulness defies the boundaries of our denominations. So, in prayer, let us close ranks. May God bless the people of Enugu State, may He bless and give peace to Nigeria.

 

 

 http://www.uwakwereflections.com/2016/01/bishop-matthew-hassan-kukahs-sermon-on.html