A LIVING HOPE AND PROMISE OF THE RESURRECTION

‘I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me though he dies, yet shall he live’ (John 11:25)

Introduction

Naturally, just as we are usually very aware of the physical realities and happenings around us – the seasons, the weather, the political climate, social events, our relationships and our physical health; So too we must not neglect our spiritual lives and environment in our struggle to read and understand the signs of our times, in order to respond positively to God as we deepen our relationship with the Lord.

Dear readers, the horrific happenings and brutal realities of our world saddens me and makes me feel quite helpless. The deepest and darkest experience of hostility and violence around the globe over the last couple of months makes my palms sweaty and stomach churn when I imagine admitting and accepting it as a Christian. Everyone seems to know what is wrong but without respite and solutions. Evil and wickedness seem to overwhelm us and make us powerless and helpless; even so as Christians we believe that God’s goodness is stronger and bigger than evil.

Trapped in Hostilities

Sadly trapped in these violent hostilities, we have been experiencing deepening crises in parts of Plateau, Kaduna, Niger, Bauchi, Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Kano and Sokoto States; bomb explosions in Madalla, Suleja, Maiduguri, Mubi, Kaduna, Kano, and most recently in Jos at St. Finbarr’s Catholic Church, Rayfield seem to be unfortunately a direct attack on Christians in particular, and our innocent citizens in general. The Militant and extremist Islamic group (Boko Haram) have been responsible for a string of violent attacks and bloody suicidal mission that have killed more than one thousand people, maimed others, impaired the health of many and leaving our citizens living in fear for their lives over the last two years. It seems Boko Haram has become a cover for criminal activities and political thuggery of all sorts. We notice that anything that turns violent now in Nigeria can be easily blamed on them whether it has link to it or not. Now that the whole world seem to be dying and our nation seem to be collapsing; We must unite to fight the scourge of terrorism and kidnapping which can never be justified in anyway. The Nigerian people in particular are growing sick, wearied and tired of this endless cycle of intimidation, human rights abuse and repression which is growing by the day because it has been left to fester for too long. Yet in the midst of such gloomy thoughts and hopeless feeling; in the midst of this depressing scenario, the Church offers another vision to her people – a living hope and promise of the resurrection.

God’s great and precious promises

Though the times are difficult, rough and tough, but they are also times of great promise. God is ever faithful and His promises for us is an unshakable pledge of love and blessing. His promise reveal His intention to fill us with his life.

·         St. Paul wrote that God ‘destined us to be His sons and daughters through Jesus Christ’ (Ephesians 1:5). He desires that we be with Him in heaven forever.

·         St. John wrote: ‘this is the will of my father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.’ (John 6:40).

·         The gospel of Luke states: ‘Fear not little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32).

·         St. Peter wrote: ‘You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people.’ (1 Peter 2:9).

·         The gospel of John states: ‘He who hears my word and believes Him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.’ (John 5:24).

·         The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: ‘Through His divine gift of hope, we place our trust in Christ’s promises and rely not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit’. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1817). Therefore, our lives can only be secure when they are rooted in God’s promise of eternal life – that is our Christian hope!

The Resurrection of Christ is the crowning truth of our Christian faith

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the crowning truth of our faith. It is the central truth upon which our faith in Christ is founded, and by which it is lived. This is what we celebrate at Easter which is a perfect time that invites us to embrace the new life from Christ. We must continue to rejoice in the life we have received from our loving God, and be filled with expectant hope that triumph over the fear of death. In fact, nothing gives us greater hope or peace than the Holy Spirit opening our hearts to God whose plans for us are wonderfully and unimaginably good. So we affirm that we are a resurrection people and alleluia is our song! Our hope in the resurrection is firm because it rests on the fact of Jesus’ resurrection. St. Paul wrote: ‘If Christ has not been raised… your faith is in vain.’ (1 Corinthians 15:14). As we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with Jesus’ mercy and love, the fear of death will be broken, and we will experience great confidence in the Lord, because we trust that our lives are hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3-4).

For us Believers, the prospect of the end of the world or the end of our lives is meant to fill us with hope and expectations because we have been redeemed by Christ. Jesus Christ told His disciples that even in the midst of the most tumultuous events, His followers should be able to look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. (Luke 21:28).

Fruits of the Redemption accomplished by the Resurrection of Christ

The resurrection story is very striking and powerful. It is a miracle! Do you know the power and hope of the resurrection? Do you know that God loves you and wants you to be with Him forever? In His desire to bring us fully into His presence, God has bestowed upon us a great dignity – nothing, not even sin or death can triumph over God’s purposes. Jesus is risen and has conquered death. Death no longer has dominion over Him, nor over us (Romans 6:9). He invites all of us to live with Him forever in heaven. The power of the resurrection is ours now! Jesus assures us that we can experience joy, even in the midst of trials. Every day St. Paul knew God’s presence and so rejoiced in the life Jesus had won for him. Even when he was in prison with the threat of execution hanging over him, Paul knew the joy of a life – changing relationship with Jesus (Philippians 1:19-26). So, some of the fruits of redemption accomplished by Christ death on the cross and glorious resurrection are:

ü  Through Christ we achieve freedom from sin and so experience joy, peace and blessing

ü  He makes us partners in His heavenly glorification

ü  Through Christ we achieve Joyous prospect of eternal life

ü  Healing of wounded relationships

ü  Physical healing

ü  The joy of a victorious Christian life

ü  Through Christ the fear of death fades and melts away

Conclusion

Death is the ultimate enemy of every human being. It defeats us all. Jesus was the only one who conquered it. Just as the Father raised Jesus from the dead, so we too will rise again. Our helplessness as mortal human beings will let God demonstrate His power on our behalf in all things. So, today we can choose to live for Jesus. Today we can serve God wholeheartedly and celebrate Christ victory over sin and death because the power of the resurrection is ours now! God will enable us rise above circumstances. No outer hell can undermine the certainty of heaven which God has given us. Remember, It is not the circumstances but the ‘innerstances’ with God that determines our life.

Happy Easter to everyone!

Rev. Fr. Michael Adefemi Adegbola, Director Media Service Centre Kaduna, Nigeria 2012

Oh beloved Nigeria! The land I love so well

Introduction

Oh Beloved Nigeria! The land I love so well; The land simply for ordinary people with simple life but with great potentials; the land of so many faces, voices and presence; the famous black nation of Africa and a big model to other African countries; the land of many possibilities and opportunities but punctured by greed, bribery and corruption; the land with people inwardly groaning and moaning over their woes as life gets tougher and harsher; the land rich with diversity of magnificent cultures, faiths and traditions; the land of lovable religious people but surrounded by crimes and many contradictions; the land with so many little children and youth with a great need for care and empowerment; the land where widows and orphans are traumatized and suffer deeply from grief and loss; and also suffer depression and anxiety with some physically and sexually abused; the land where too often widows become impoverished at the death of their husbands; the land of many hopes and promises but dotted with uncertainties.

Oh beloved Nigeria! Blessed and endowed with abundant natural and human resources but where these resources are plundered to serve the affluent lifestyle of few; blessed with rich and generous soil. Oh beloved Nigeria! The giant of Africa and the hope of the future and yet with many disfigured people, poverty, hardship, insecurity and now terrorism. Oh beloved Nigeria! the land of political turmoil and confusion; the land with so many brilliant projects haphazardly executed and where public funds are not monitored; the land with beautiful young people crying for peace, justice and security. Oh beloved Nigeria! Collectively struggling to obtain and defend its rights to wealth, power, and knowledge and to adhere to the rule of law; the land with cultural silence and taboo around sexuality leading to the high incidence of HIV/AIDS, and the difficulty of encouraging behavioral and attitudinal change; the land with great potentials for agriculture but where many farmers are not encouraged enough to diversify crops; the land with plenty of food but where children are undernourished with high infant mortality;  the land where military spending is high but health care spending is proportionately low; and the land sadly brought to its knees recently by reckless suicide bomb attacks, grenades and guns through violent militant and terrorist activities. Yet, even under these prevailing adverse circumstances, I love Nigeria and will continue to pray for Nigeria, a land of great promise and hope.

The many needs of Nigeria

Nigeria has many needs and we cannot claim to address them all. The great global pressures dominated by the industrial and economic forces have put serious demands on our families and communities. The impact of HIV and AIDS continue to challenge us as  nation and put a strain on our human and financial resources. The declining education and moral standards among our young people is a huge challenge. Without education, fear prevent our people from questioning the causes of their poverty, and are unable to criticize government policies and traditions which keep them perpetually oppressed; without quality education, our people are unable to contribute to the development of their country in a way that enhances the dignity of every person. Internal conflicts, violence, and militant terrorism have led to economic collapse, human rights abuses, increasing numbers of refugees, disabled people, orphans and internally displaced persons.

Decades of political freedom and struggles so far

Nigeria occupies the most important place in the affairs of Africa. For even after decades of political freedom, Nigeria is still trying and struggling to achieve stability and progress with her new found democracy still under experiment for about twelve years now, after a long period of despotic military dictatorship. We have witnessed even in our post Independence era, the absence of deep conviction in our common goals, the unity of our country, and a necessity for peace. The absence of love and mutual trust among the citizens of Nigeria have caused us lots of problems – geography of enmity, discriminatory deprivation based on ethnicity,  hatred among peoples, classes and ethnic groups, mutual opposition, non-cooperation, ethnic rivalries, dissension, widespread unrest, hostilities and lack of harmony; communal clashes, militant insurgency, revolts and guerrilla warfare.

Unfortunately, religious hatred have also given rise to incessant riots and blood lust  leading to killing of our innocent citizens and destruction of property. The result of all these have been increasing violence, chaos and blind prejudices; growing insecurity and pervasive sense of frustration. We need to stand united under our democratic government to conquer tribal prejudice and ethnic segregation because it continues to breed hate, intolerance, fear and violence in our country, leading to fatal polarization of our people. In fact, because of past historical antecedents, we unfortunately see ourselves as problems, a group against a group; a section against a section; a region against a region, and Muslims against Christians.

Our headaches and Challenges

In Nigeria, there is impoverished economy linked with bad governance;  fear has invaded our hearts, hatred and the injury to others have become the rule of life; the hope and resilience of youth have dwindled and disappeared; there is institutional corruption, regionalism, tribalism, and the strong belief in the class superiorities and inferiorities often associated with class monopolies of key professions. This has given rise to a clique of wealthy powerful rulers who exert social, economic and even constitutional pressure in order to maintain their supremacy. The perpetuation of these rigid and inflexible hierarchies does not give room for comprehensive national development. We note that anyone who places regional interest, far above  his national affiliation will certainly not give support to those national initiatives and activities necessary to achieve integral development. The fact that regional and sectional interest dominates many of the senior people in the key sectors can be seen from the abuse of power that followed.

Chike Orjiako in his article titled: ‘Mr President, please appoint me a cabal’ in the Sunday Sun, March 18, 2012 edition gives this interesting story to buttress this fact. In a class of young adults rounding up their high school education in Lagos, the class teacher had asked a normal routine question as to what career the graduating students would want to pursue after school. Most of the students were proclaiming the usual Engineer, Doctor, Banker etc, until it was the turn of Uche, a rather average student in the class. Teacher: Uche as you are about graduating what career would you want to pursue? Uche: Sir, I will like to be a Cabal! The young man declared. Teacher: Uche! What the hell is that please? Uche: Sir, you know; Cabals are famous. They are the richest, smartest, boldest and most influential people in the country today. Even Mr. President fears and respects them even though it appears he appoints them. As  the dumbfounded teacher was still trying to gather his thoughts while other students are laughing at his choice of career, a confused Uche added that when he eventually realizes his ambition, he would see to it that most of his class mates laughing at him today will never benefit from his largesse. Cabals can’t be sacked, reprimanded or tried for any offence. They enjoy unique privileges and are virtuous beings doing powerful things without borders or restrictions.[1]

Furthermore, experts generally believe that in societies, in which tribal, sectional, regional, or family loyalties is more important than a somewhat remote ideal of national development, development effort is damaged, money is wasted, and unsuitable people are appointed. This opposing selfish tendencies are serious obstacles to social cooperation and national growth. It seems the Nigerian system has consistently rewarded mediocrity over genius; punishes the righteous and reward criminals with highest honors; marginalize the most vulnerable and defenseless and put them to the mere fringes of life without decency and dignity.[2]

Lessons we are passing on

Consequently in Nigeria, the lesson we have passed on is that violence pays and has become the legitimate weapons for geo-political, regional and national negotiation. We have also passed on the lesson that no matter how wicked, ruthless, reckless and unscrupulous we are, we can be honored and rewarded by a society that does not have a merit and value system. We hope that the revolutionary increase in the number of educated and morally sensible citizens will result in a generation of graduates, and young people with great intellectual capital to challenge the prevailing unjust structures and contribute to national growth.

Our resolves as a people

We are proud of Nigeria, its rich history and culture, its strong tradition and diversity of peoples, faiths and religions. We acknowledge that belonging to Nigeria involves rights and responsibilities. The peace of our nation cannot be secured by ignoring the conflicts and sufferings of our people; For war and violence anywhere is a threat to peace everywhere. Therefore, we must stand united towards ensuring the actualization of the Millennium Development Goals:

• Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger
• achieving universal primary education
• promoting gender equality and empowering women
• reducing child mortality rates
• improving maternal health
• combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
• ensuring environmental sustainability, and
• developing a global partnership for development.

Conclusion

Oh beloved Nigeria! How I wish we will turn to each other and renew our commitment to live in peace and security, be our brothers and sisters keepers; have a decent standard of living and a fair share of resources. How I wish we can stand united to reject religious racism, discrimination, ethnic prejudice, intolerance, blame-casting and violence. In this age committed to democratic reforms, how I wish we can also create conditions and atmosphere in which peace can emerge by striving for the development of deprived communities and by working for integral human progress. We can stop fanning the embers of discord and division by inspiring a sense of nationalism and patriotism in the hearts of our people. We can also eradicate violence from the hearts of our people and create environment of safety and peace by striving to change those structures that hold our people in social, economic and psychological bondage. Now is the time for action and less talk. God bless Nigeria!

Rev Fr Michael Adefemi Adegbola, Director Media Service Centre Kaduna Nigeria, 2012

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[1] Sunday Sun, March 18, 2012

[2] BARTHOLOMEW IFEMESIA, Moral Revolution in Africa, Holmes Weber, Publishing Company Ltd, Enugu Nigeria, 1985.