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.

ROOTED AND BUILT IN CHRIST JESUS

‘Keep your roots deep in Him, build your lives on Him, and become stronger in Faith as you were taught. And be filled with thanksgiving.’ (Colossians 2:7)

Introduction

Youth are a special people. I truly trust in our capacity for goodness, success, achievements and victory. But for us to become Vibrant, Alive and Active youth (VAA); for us to become Hopeful, Optimistic and Positive youth (HOP); for us to have Greater, Strength and Courage (GSC), we must be rooted and built in Christ Jesus. Let us give this matter a careful thought drawn from the beautiful story of Jesus on the two house builders; one of whom built his house on sand, while the other chose to build on rock. A fierce storm blew up, and the house built on sand fell apart whereas the house built on rock stood firm (Matthew 7:24-27). What a remarkable illustration?

The Parable of the two house builders

Jesus said; ‘Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mind and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built His house on the rock.’ (Matthew 7:24). One thing is sure, severe storms will come because not one of us knows what lies ahead – marriage break-up, redundancy, unemployment, bereavement, serious sickness, fire disaster, financial failure, war and violent terrorism. Without doubt, storms are most likely to affect us all at one time or another. We may worry,  become unhappy and tensed, we may doubt,  become desolate and desperate; the fact is that the follower of Jesus Christ does not build a house in land where there are storms, rather build a house that no storm can destroy because it is rooted in Christ Jesus. The pertinent questions to ask as Christian youth in the third millennium are: How do we prepare to meet and face these storms if they do come? What kind of house are we building? What is the foundation of our lives built on – shifting sand or on solid rock? How solid are our spiritual foundations?

A House no Storm can destroy

The secret of having a firm foundation for our lives as youth – a foundation which no storm can shift or destroy is to hear and heed the words of Christ. ‘Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mind and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built His house on the rock.’ (Matthew 7:24). In life we all face occasionally days of sunshine, sweeping rain and whistling winds, days of tempest and temptation. Under the pressure of these storms, some of us crumble and are rendered homeless. Others survive the storm and remain intact and safe. The difference in my thinking is the foundations. While some build on sand, others build upon rock. For us then, Jesus Christ is our place of refuge and rest, of security and strength from which we can move out to the world. If we want to build a secure place for our inner life, then we must pay good and close attention to the foundations. How do we do that? What do we need to do in order to ensure that we are dwelling in a house which no storm can destroy? Our Lord makes it clear in the introduction of the story of the two men and two houses: ‘Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mind and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built His house on the rock.’ (Matthew 7:24). Note the phrase and puts into practice. Many hear but do not heed. Thus their lives crumble in the time of storm. We can only live well and wisely when we are rooted in Christ.

What we must do to be rooted and built in Christ

Jesus tells us what we must do to have an unshakable and firm foundation for our lives as youth:

·         To hear, heed, believe and practice His words. There is no better and surer foundation than the truth in Jesus’ words

·         Self-renunciation and facing the fact of our spiritual bankruptcy. We do not have the inner resources to make it through life alone, and later to heaven. We need the help of God. We have to acknowledge our weakness and admit our need for assistance and say to God: ‘Help! I cannot make it on my own’.

·         Surrender our ego to Christ, because we are never designed to be ego-centred individuals but Christ-centred. Life begins in self-surrender, that God’s miraculous power is available to us only when we learn to say: ‘We need help’. Jesus does not reduce people to zero, but raises them to their zenith.

·         Be salt and light to the world (Matthew 5:13-16)

·         Obey His statues and fulfill the law

·         Control our thoughts and align them always to God’s will (Philippians 4:8-9)

·         Avoid anger, negative and malicious thinking (Ephesians 4:26-32)

·         Make time for prayers

·         Give  to the needy and share with the poor

·         Trust God and stop worrying

·         So much of Jesus’ truth is condensed in the Beatitude (Matthew 5:1-12). Grab the Beatitude apply them day by day to your life, and you will have a firm foundation that no storm will be able to destroy.

Conclusion

I conclude by saying that it very important for us on this journey of faith together to grasp the truth that: We must belong to God before we can really find ourselves. If you have not surrendered your life to Jesus, then no matter how much you cultivate and assert yourself, you are still at the centre. You must place yourself at the feet of Jesus Christ in total surrender. Remember, you are not to be the centre - God is!

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

EMBRACING FASTING THIS LENT

‘But even now, says the Lord, repent sincerely and return to me with fasting, and weeping and mourning. Let your broken hearts show your sorrow; tearing your clothes is not enough.’ (Joel 2:12-13)

Introduction

Lent is a very important time in Christendom. Many people try to do something special during it whether as individuals or community  – giving up something, taking up certain spiritual exercises, surrendering defective attitudes and conquering bad habits. Our Lenten exercise begins with the readings of the scene of the temptation of Jesus Christ in the desert, where He needed to reflect on the nature of His mission and to equip Himself to carry it out.  (Luke 4:1-13). We sincerely picture Christ in the solitude of the desert, and rejoice with His victory which He wants to share with us. We too like Jesus must embark on a special forty days program of prayers, reflection and fasting.

Preparing for  a better Lent

How can we make lent more spiritually fulfilling and fruitful? It is not just a season we simply pass through, attending parties after parties or shopping for assorted gifts, with little spiritual benefits. Generally, doctors recommend regular check-ups to make sure that our bodies are functioning properly. Though we might not even realize something is wrong, undetected problem could potentially cause other health issues. The same is true with our spiritual relationship with God and with one another. Lent is a time for spiritual check-up, reappraisal and evaluation of our lives. Just as some people are nervous about seeing their physician, so we might also feel fearful of inviting the Holy Spirit to examine our lives and to help lighten our path. But we cannot hope to share his victory unless we fight His battle; and to fight His battle, we have to face the ‘desert’ – to fast and pray, and to die to our old selves. Today, everybody wants to seek something for themselves – pleasure, glory, honor, and power. We recoil from the cross and the desert experience. Lent calls us to true conversion and repentance as we taste God’s mercy and totally surrender our lives to Him. For without His help we cannot change our lives. The fact that God loves us is undeniable. He said so in His word and demonstrates it through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The rewards of embracing fasting

Since the Church’s earliest days, Christians have fasted in preparation for significant holidays or holy days. This lent, try giving up something. Traditional fast include meat and dairy, but what we give up matters less than the spirit in which we do so. Fasting should be challenging, but it need not be excessive. The purpose is greater awareness of, and devotion to God – letting Him remain the focus of our attention in the midst of the midst of activities that would otherwise distract us. Other options could be limiting media, such as television, film, music or internet usage to allow more time for Scripture reading and prayer.

The rewards of embracing fasting are great:

§  We gain greater intimacy with the Lord and others. Regular communion with God helps us avoid many snares from over-indulgence and materialism to judging others, idolatry or apathy

§  Grow in Christlikeness and holiness

§  Fasting purifies our motives and helps us to discern God’s will

§  It helps us overthrow Satan and free ourselves from the worship of false gods

§  God remove any spiritual blockage that impede a close walk with Him

§  Our energies is renewed as resentment, fear and other ungodly attitude stop draining us

§  Following and Serving God becomes a great joy, instead of duty

§  We have the opportunity to set our goals and priorities right

§  We experience spiritual freedom through forgiveness, and this gives us deeper fulfillment, peace and joy.

Conclusion

Therefore, let this lent be for us a great time of fasting, repentance, prayer and great anticipation in the days leading to Easter. As our faith matures, it certainly becomes a time grace and  growing in holiness. As maturity is a life-long process, I believe that with the Word of God to enlighten us, and the Holy Spirit to strengthen us, we would become victorious like Christ over Satan.

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

THE FAITH OF CHRISTIANS IN TIMES OF PERSECUTION

‘I have told you this, so that you will not give up your faith. You will be expelled from the Synagogues, and the time will come when anyone who kills you will think that by doing this he is serving God… But I have told you this, so that when the time comes for them to do these things, you will remember that I told you’ (John 16:1-4)

Introduction

Witnessing for Christ in a world of confusion, a world that is often cruel, grasping, indifferent, skeptical and cynical becomes extremely difficult. How can we really stand for Jesus in troubled times? As Christians we do not live in a comfortable, safe, secured, sheltered and protected world. We live in a world full of confusion, temptation and trouble of every kind – violent insurgency, terrorism, ethnic bigotry, religious fanaticism, endemic corruption, political banditry, poverty, ignorance and disease. A world where we all have inhale the fatal germs of sin and human evil. It is in the midst of this world that we are expected to bear witness bravely to Christ. How can we let the light of Christ truth and goodness shine in the world? The common temptation is to isolate ourselves so as to keep ourselves free from contamination of evil and wickedness; we vanish into the crowd, and so lose our identity and sense of mission as Christians

Christ Warning and Assurance of Victory

Christ knew how rough and tough the world could be and told his disciples in advance about the trials, tribulations and persecution they would encounter. They would be hated by all on account of His name. They would meet all kinds false prophets speaking in His name. He told them that there would be terrible wars, earthquakes, plagues, famines and revolutions that will tear the world apart. There would be betrayal by members of their own families, imprisonment, trial and death. He urged them not to be afraid. Jesus Christ gave them assurance that in the end, His power will see them through all these trials. They were not to depend on their own cleverness or strength, but only on His help. ‘Everyone will hate you because of me, but not a single hair from your head will be lost. Stand firm, and you will save yourselves’ (Luke 21:17-19).

Witnessing requires great faith and Courage

Witnessing calls for great faith, courage and grace from God. How can we be bold and generous followers of Christ in the midst of skeptical and hostile world, in this turbulent and unpredictable times when our faith is ridiculed? (Matthew 10:32-33). We can truly be courageous witnesses for Christ in the following ways:

·        When our lives electrify the natural order

·        When we give public witness to Christ love, truth, goodness and justice on the trains and buses; in schools, offices, market, hotels, hospitals and play grounds.

·        Be true witnesses through the life of sacrifice, love, prayer and service

·        When we champion the cause of the poor, exploited and marginalized in the society by becoming the voice for the voiceless

·        When we make our homes, families and communities places of love, understanding, mercy and forgiveness.

·        When we become oasis of hope and freedom for our citizens.

In fact, Christ challenges us to walk without fear along the road of faithfulness. Only when we keep our eyes fixed on Christ can we:

Ø  Develop resistance and immunity to disease and the tyranny of wickedness

Ø  Have constant spiritual sterilization to live germ-free lives through prayers, confession and penance

Ø  Only then can we thrive, flourish, blossom and become healthy through His grace in a protected environment.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we realize that that though we are in the world, but we are not of the world. So in the midst of a chaotic world, we should become messengers of hope and bearers of the light of Christ.

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

DON’T FORGET THE SICK AND ELDERLY

Dear readers, I hope you’ll give this reflection a few minutes of your time. Please, read on!

How would you feel, if at an old age, when you’re retired from active service; your family, friends and society isolate and abandon you? Obviously, miserable I think! So, don’t you ever forget the sick and elderly. Jesus Christ didn’t! He comforted and showed profound compassion to the sick and downtrodden. In fact, I can say with all confidence and conviction, that the gospel of Jesus’ love and compassion is real hope to the world.

Almost all cultures across the globe regard care for those who’re aged and failing in health as a natural duty. The Jewish and Christian traditions regard this responsibility to the elderly parents as a basic duty for all human beings (Exodus 20:12; Sirach 3). Irish and African cultures, as many others, generally have utmost admiration and respect for elders. They share a communal tradition of valuing, respecting and caring for the elderly because of their wealth of experience and wisdom in life. Governments of the world too, have increasingly regarded care for the elderly as a crucial responsibility of welfare state, with the public providing old-age insurance and medical services for the elderly population (physically impaired, chronically infirm, handicapped and housebound).

It’s all very well talking about the care for the sick and elderly in our modern society, but I think that our greatest difficulty and temptation about old age, is in thinking of it as a ‘futile waste’. This is apparently evident in our today’s world that honor the strong and powerful, and those who have beauty and intelligence. Invariably, the sick and elderly then suffer the danger of isolation, neglect and abandonment. I think that there is the urgent need for an intensified collective human and pastoral response, to give the sick and elderly their dignity, and all necessary assistance they need to carry on with life.

Yes! The Social and Pastoral care for the aged can be a real challenge to the Church and Society. Perhaps, it is pertinent to frankly address some few questions here. Do the elderly have any relevance in our modern society? Can they speak to us today? Can they help us? The answer is a comprehensive “Yes.”  Through her Pastoral Care Program for the Sick and Elderly, the Church has persistently, continue to help and support the society to prevail in the vital struggle to protect the value and dignity of human life, and to spread love and care for the elderly.

Pope John Paul II of blessed memory beautifully captures the essence of this challenge in his touching appeal during his visit to Britain: “Do not neglect your sick and elderly. Do not turn away from the handicapped and the dying. Do not push them to the margins of society. For if you do, you will fail to understand that they represent an important truth. The sick, the elderly, the handicapped and the dying teach us that weakness is a creative part of human living, and that suffering can be embraced with no loss of dignity. Without the presence of these people in your midst you might be tempted to think of health, strength and power as the only important values to be pursued in life. But the wisdom of Christ and the power of Christ are to be seen in the weakness of those who share in his suffering. Let us keep the sick and the handicapped at the center of our lives. Let us treasure them and recognize with gratitude the debt we owe them. We begin by imagining that we are giving to them; we end by realizing that they have enriched us.”

The Holy Father continually urges the society to support and help the weak, sick, elderly, and all those who suffer; even as His Prayer Intention for the month of February reads: “For the sick, especially those who are poor, may they receive care and treatment worthy of their human dignity.” Let’s pray earnestly, that God may grant strength and healing to the Pope, and keep him safe from harm. For all the elderly and the aged, that God may comfort them with contentment of heart. The society also must gratefully acknowledge its large and continuing debt to religious organizations, family members, voluntary humanitarian organizations, charity foundations, social institutions and specialized professionals offering their expertise in care, supervising medication, assisting with basic therapies and counseling. We must realize that we need each other to find help, care, relief, satisfaction and joy in the midst of all these human struggle and pains.

I want to conclude by saying that I’ll never forget my enriching experience with the sick and elderly in Portsmouth. Now that several days, weeks, and months have passed since my last summer pastoral experience with the elderly in Portsmouth, I’m even increasingly moved and touched by their tremendous gesture of friendship and humor which still lingers on in my mind, as I realize more and more, that I benefited so much from their great experiences and encouraging advice which continually motivate me toward appreciating and living life gratefully. To you all, I extend my heartfelt thanks for your warm and gracious hospitality, and with fond memories of my time with you. You are all simply unforgettable! I must confess that my time with you was an incredible experience I would always remember. I pray that you may all feel God’s presence and that He will keep you safe and warm always. Indeed, I’ll never forget the sick and elderly!

Ø  Michael Adefemi Adegbola.

MARGINALIZING GOD AND FOOLING WITH IDOLS

‘Dear Children keep yourselves from Idols’ (1 John 5:21).   

Introduction

God is God and has no substitute. He alone is the one who never disappoints. Our primary loyalty and allegiance is to Him. To God alone we owe adoration and worship. The Holy Bible commands us thus: ‘ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength (Mark 12:30). So, ‘You shall have no other gods before me’ (Exodus 20:3). let there not be idols, no substitutes, no lesser gods, no god shelf on which God stands as one among others. He is Elohim – The Sovereign Lord who possesses all divine powers and all others spirits must bow to Him. It is  now time to ask ourselves how to identify, tear and sweep every idol from our lives in our daily Christian struggle. The first letter of John advises us: ‘Dear Children keep yourselves from Idols’. (1 John 5:21). As Christians, we have assurance of an unshakable dwelling place with God, and so can walk boldly by faith through seemingly impossible situations and become conquerors for Christ. We should not dethrone or push God out of our lives to idolize ourselves, people or things, but turn to Him to meet our deepest needs. Things are really incapable of meeting the deepest hunger of the heart.

The ‘Self, Others and things’ factors,

The tendencies of ‘Self, self, self! others, others, others! and things, things, things’! are terrible attachments that have gripped the human mind in the modern society. Although we cannot despise self, others and material things, we must not make a god of them either. Our interest in self and worldly things can make us quickly elbow out concern about spiritual issues, choke our devotional and spiritual life, and so make us become increasingly grasping, greedy and covetous.  We must watch out and be on guard against the dangerous tendency of marginalizing God and fooling ourselves. God designs us to be God-centred and not ego-centred and our hearts as St. Augustine will say are restless until they rest in Him. The things we place above God can be  good servants, but also terrible masters. Things which in themselves are not evil, are not all that matters in life. Christ did not scorn things. They are our servants and God wants us to use them wisely.  Let us give this matter a serious attention as Christians.

What is Idolatry?

 For most people, the word idolatry brings to mind figures and images of carved or molded statues worshipped by people in far off lands. It is the tendency to substitute something in the place of God. Anything that becomes an interest greater than the interest we have in God is an idol. It is something relative that becomes an absolute. You don’t need to reject God openly to be an idolater; you become one simply when you put something or someone other than God at the centre, and thus marginalize God. He no longer controls our lives because He is not at the centre. The list of things we can become devoted to the exclusion of God Himself is endless – status, work, power, fame, greed, covetousness, religious ceremonies, hedonism, materialism, consumerism, relativism, atheism, superstition and agnosticism. The deification of modern sciences and the consequent marginalization and dethronement of God has resulted to a world devoid of all meaning and purpose, with no higher order or power to guide it. Today, so many other idols acting as substitutes for God may be lurking and hiding in believers hearts as well. This makes us lose our focus and a sense of spirituality in life, and our standards of values drastically declines. I think that when we lose God, we invariably make ourselves god; and wrongly think that we can easily take advantage of Him and manipulate Him.

Negative effects of Idols

There must be no substitute for God. Him only will you serve and surrender fully to. ‘Fools say to themselves, ‘There is no God’ (Psalm 14:1). When we become more dependent on self, others, and things than we are on God, then our lives are thrown into confusion. Some of the negative effects of idols are:

·         Idols misrepresent God. ‘Turn away from idols to God, to serve the true living God’. (1 Thessalonians 1:9). ‘Our God is in heavens; He does whatever He wishes. Their gods are made of silver and gold, formed by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, and eyes, but cannot see’. (Psalm 115:3-5).

·         Idols are the biggest single hindrance to spiritual maturity. There is no breath of life in idols. ‘They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish’. (Jeremiah 10:15).

·         Our total and highest loyalty to God diminishes

·         Relative things falsely become absolutes

·         The deification of modern sciences and the consequent dethronement of God has resulted to a world devoid of all meaning and purpose, with no higher order or power to guide it. It should be noted that though science has an impressive record of achievements to its credit, it cannot be installed as Supreme God claiming the right to adoration and submission of man to it.

·         Idols destroy spiritual maturity, growth and peace with God. In fact, there cannot be spiritual growth in the life in which idols are present.

·         Idols are deceptive and illusory. They can give the appearance of security, but crumble and break down when truly tested (Jeremiah 10:15). The idol of wealth – of things cannot stand up to the test which death brings. It breaks down

Conclusion

We must strive to identify and keep ourselves from idols. Let us stop looking around, but look up to God for hope, meaning and purpose to life, or else we may become obsessed with carnal pleasures; and enslaved by greed, lust, avarice and blind appetites leading to dehumanization and destruction of our lives. Though people and things are important to us, we must not put them in the place of God. It becomes dangerous when we put our faith in parents, teachers, government, preachers, prophets, pastors, wives, husbands and children, and look up to them more than we look up to God. Watch out and remember God’s command in (Exodus 20:3). Idols let us down. ‘You shall have no other gods before me’.

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

TRUE REPENTANCE IS AGREEING WITH GOD

‘The Sovereign Lord, the Holy God of Israel, says to the people, ‘Come back and quietly trust in me. Then you will be strong and secure.’ But you refuse to do it!’ Isaiah 30:15

Introduction

The call to repentance is at the heart of the gospel. It is one of the most consistent themes of the holy Bible. Jesus opened  his ministry with the call: ‘Repent and believe the Good News’ ( Mark 1:15).  This call is addressed to all without exception – rich and poor, great and small, and children, men and women alike. Repentance is an exciting and a joyous experience. In fact, it is the ultimate surrender of self, and God willed that the entire life of Christians be one of repentance because sinful tendencies remain to varying degrees in ordinary mortals. Repentance is not just an acknowledgment of and confession of sins; it is not simply feeling guilty about one’s sins and doing penance for them. It is not just an act but an attitude. It is a daily attitude, an ongoing process and perspective. A process by which we see ourselves day by day as we really are: sinful, needy and dependent people. It is also the process by which we see God as He is: awesome, majestic and holy. We will never be able to move into a deep relationship with God except we maintain an attitude of repentance. So let us take time this lent to examine and evaluate our spiritual condition and commitment to Christ.

Lenten Invitation

Every year, we are privileged to have a special liturgical period of forty days before Easter called Lent to evaluate our lives, reflect on God’s love in Christ and live in His presence, set our priorities right and our hearts on better and noble things. We remember during Lenten season that we are dust and on to dust we shall return, and so turn to the Lord of all goodness and ask for mercy and forgiveness. His presence is tremendously super and overwhelmingly wonderful, and He cannot be out done with generosity. God the Creator, is the Lord and lover of souls who gives life, maintains and sustains it, and returns it when it has been lost (Ezekiel 18:33).

Lent is a special time when God invites us to put more efforts and energy into our relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. Every day during Lent, Jesus invites us to come to Him, to turn our faces towards Him and look upon Him with faith.  It is a time for us to pray: ‘Lord, make me know your ways’ in order to gain a deeper and more intimate relationship with God (Psalms 25:4). God’s ways are ways of love, truth, mercy, justice and peace; and this is the Good News that Christ preached:  that forgiveness is available, recovery is possible and redemption can be achieved.

However, we observe that the world is in danger of being swamped by bad news. The ugly events and happenings of our times – brutal violence, religiously motivated terrorism, suicide bombings, natural calamities, ecological disasters and so many other ungodly and wicked activities leaves us feeling seriously challenged and humbled. We continue to see the impact that horrible diseases are having on our people. We see how drugs, alcoholism and substance abuse, compulsive gambling, cultism, and other addictions are placing distressing and crushing burdens on our families and the larger society. We also see how thousands of lives are perishing in the natural disasters around the world – floods, tsunamis, typhoons, draught, famines and earthquakes. The truth is that God sees our sufferings. He is filled with compassion for us and always ready to pour His grace over us. He wants to see us healed and restored. God wants to move closer to us, but the question we have to answer is: Do we want to move closer to Him? As we journey along lent, we pray God to challenge us and change us, develop the desire in us to be alone with Him in prayer, and longing to know Him better through His Word and spiritual meditations.

What is true Repentance and why is it vitally important?

Let us now take a moment to examine the  important issue and meaning of repentance. The Greek word for repentance, metanoia, means a ‘change of mind’. A change from darkness to light, hatred to love and curse to blessing. Someone defines true repentance as ‘agreeing with God’. This is absolutely true and there is obviously no point disagreeing with God over anything because being God, He is always right. So we cannot argue with God or raise objections over issues that appear to threaten our ego and self-centredness. He is the lord of our lives, and that means we are no longer lord over our lives. Let us always do the right thing and stop rationalizing our decisions and behaviors, offering good reasons and unnecessarily bargaining with God. Our response to His call and challenge should not be one of resistance, rebellion and argumentation, but of godly sorrow and total submission. In the reflection book, Every Day with Jesus of January/February 1995, Selwyn Hughes categorically states that ‘when we repent, we adopt the attitude that God is right and we are wrong.’  In our commitment of the Christian life, submission is crucially essential as this sets the tilt of our souls in the direction of agreeing with God. Radical repentance is vitally important because it eliminates the effects of the shame, disgrace and guilt of sin in us.

Repentance is not a sad and negative  thing as people often see it. It is not merely the feeling of guilt or being sorry for sin, but a joyous experience that elevates you to God and makes one to agree with divine principles and values. It is a process of discovering something wonderful about yourself; realizing and digging up your potentials; acquiring a new vision; taking a new direction, and living by better values.

Conclusion

While we constantly need to remember in our Christian struggle that our carnal nature may surface at any time to disagree with God.; the good news is that forgiveness is available, recovery and restoration are possible and redemption can be achieved through the  grace of God. We all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. But we are still loved by God, and loved unconditionally, because His love,  mercy, forgiveness are available to us through Christ Jesus. Therefore, Let us confess and recognize our need of Him, and seek His help with humility, while earnestly  fasting, praying and doing works of charity with sincerity for divine mercy and healing upon our world.  We must totally trust God, our only secured foundation and the ultimate guarantor of justice and peace. Happy Lenten season and God bless you.

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