WOMEN MODELS IN THE CHURCH AND EVANGELIZATION (II)
By Bishop Emmanuel Badejo
( Bishop of Oyo Diocese)
Part of our last month edition on: Women Models in the Church and Evangelization and what follows come from the book “Women in the Bible for Dummies”: Here are some other useful thoughts in favour of the place of women
1. Martha and Mary: (John11). These two sisters were friends of Jesus as the gospel teaches. They are so important, vocal and active that the gospel records the dialogue between them and Jesus instead of reporting just their encounters. Note that no dialogue is recorded between Lazarus himself and Jesus although they were so close that when he died, “Jesus wept”. The dialogue with the woman at the well (John 4) is a classic of a woman's typical role in evangelization, finding time and space to listen to God and then bring the good news to others. How about the encounter with the adulterous woman in chapter 8!
2. The Virgin Mary and Elizabeth (Luke 1, 2) The gospel of Luke records several dialogues about women, much more than all other gospels, such that it has been often called the “Gospel of Women”. Mary with the angel, Mary with Elizabeth, Mary with Jesus, etc
3. All four gospels attest that more women disciples were with Jesus at his crucifixion and death than his disciples, most of whom had abandoned him. All four gospels show that it was the women, like Mary Magdalene who first discovered the empty tomb on Easter morning before any apostle. When the apostles knew it they did so only from the women who had gone there before them.
4. Jesus healed and spoke to women and men and children alike. He established that spiritual equality which puts women on the same pedestal of responsibility in evangelization as anyone else. What they lacked in the authority to govern they more than made up for with their teaching, witness, example and courage. Does this not speak to us about the true role of the Religious in the Church?
5. The phrase “certain women” was used in the Acts of the Apostles to describe the women disciples present at the Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus' resurrection. In those days Jewish men and women normally prayed separately. The fact that men and women were reported present together at the Pentecost is noteworthy. God was doing new things for women right at the beginning of the Church and through his own people.
“Although the women weren't invited into the formal realms of Church leadership, they nevertheless provided a service to the faith community and ideally, leadership and service are inseparable. Women were indispensable in maintaining Christianity in the home which was often called the domestic church by many spiritual writers over the ages. Teaching children the faith was but one aspect. Just as Jewish women upheld various prayer rituals in the homes for certain holidays, so too, Christian women ensured that the faith was promoted not just on Sunday… but throughout the week”.
From the foregoing it is obvious to me that whether as mothers, wives or daughters, women have nothing at all stopping them from becoming indeed front-liners and trail-blazers in the work of evangelization.
The Church of today, like the Church before us, is also on her way to the Promised Land. Her only assignment is to “go and make disciples of all nations” as the great mandate dictates. In that great task women have an essential role to play like their great ancestors in the community of God's people. They have always been key players in the mission of the Church from the earliest times. Although women were not treated as politically and economically equal to men they got much more involved in the daily life of the Church than in the Old Testament. Hopefully all women will see how important it is to get involved indeed in the daily life of today's Church and not be weekly members alone. I hope that in this deductive way we see the special role of women in evangelization today because of the nature of women, the family and very composition of our contemporary society.
Women ought to make their contribution to evangelization with all the gifts they have which many cannot lay claim to in the same measure: their femininity, subtlety, persuasion ability, your generosity, compassion, etc. They should be spirit-filled, be available and be courageous. It is not easy but with a prayerful disposition coined in the words of Mary's fiat, (I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done according to your will) you will continue your leading role in this regard.
True enough, some Christian denominations today admit women to ministry as deacons, priests and even Bishops. They see the exclusively male ministry and administrative leadership as unjust. Some others including the Catholic Church take the exclusively male ministry as a divine arrangement, but do not by that, see women as inferior. They ensure rather that women wield power in complementary but vital areas. The validity of this can be seen in the work of some women who have done greater evangelization work in our time than most men, represented by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Mother Angelica of EWTN etc. It is very significant that Jesus who came to take us all to heaven refrained from making his own mother an apostle, or one of the leaders of his Church! There was no need for that. Her special role was assured!
The role of women in the Church and in evangelization therefore will continue to be like salt in food. Often it can erroneously be seen as hidden and marginal but it is nonetheless indispensable and essential. Like the Blessed Virgin Mary, women must first and foremost be attentive to God's spirit. Consider what would have happened had Mary been too busy to listen to God's angel and His spirit. Nowadays it is simply becoming more and more difficult to create that space but created it must be! It will take an attitude of prayer and attentiveness to the scripture and a keen reading of the signs of the times to see where the areas of need are. These could range from prayer for vocation within the families and groups to the sponsoring of vocations; from a certain kind of “ministering to the ministers of God” to raising funds and resources for the work of the Gospel. Even, simply being good housewives and being charitable in speech about one another can win souls in ways that we cannot imagine! Let me stop here and leave other imaginative ways to your fantasy, intelligence, experience and faith.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
OUR GREED … OUR PAINS (1)
By Rev. Fr. Leonard O. Anetekhai
Nigeria is a great nation in every respect. Its rich, vast and abundant resources to its wonderful people, makes it great and attractive to the outside world. Nigeria has prided herself as one of the most populous and panoramic nation on earth, a peaceful and striking place. As a people, we are hospitable, kind-hearted, full of life and resilient. Only a few nations in the world can boast of the peculiarities for which the nation prides itself.
Travelling the nook and cranny of this great nation, one can state without any reservation that it is the best nation in the world. Let us put aside the affluence, splendour and global acclamation of countries in Europe and America, including even those in Africa such as South Africa, there is none that can rival Nigeria in terms of its quietness, greenness and resplendence. Nigeria is simply a great nation!
Every Nigerian is entitled to his opinion just like mine. Believe it or not, if there are more suitable or grandiose words with which to express the splendour of this nation, I would be glad to use them. Aggregating the endowments of this God's nation will leave one perplexed, stupefied and speechless. What most powerful and richest nations in the world cannot boast of can be found in Nigeria. Name them: gold, diamond, tin, coal, crude oil, all kinds of domestic and wild animals, groundnut, palm tree, cocoa, rubber, assorted aquatic animals, magical landscapes, exciting grasslands, fine mountains and hills, game reserves, waterways, rivers and lakes, caves, holiday resorts, etc. It is just impossible listing all the goodies with which the good Lord has blessed Nigeria in one fell plunge, like a fisherman with so much of beautiful fishes in his net.
As a good people of a great nation we are hospitable, welcoming and kind-hearted. It was unanimously agreed of recent that Nigerians are the happiest people in the world. In fact, some commentators have opted to describe Nigerians as the salt of the earth. There is nowhere in the world you don't find at least a Nigerian. It is generally believed that anywhere there is no Nigerian is not good for human habitation. This verdict was not borne out of any frivolous assessment. Rather, it is a product of a meticulous and unbiased evaluation of the pressing circumstances under which we have lived and survived all these years. Despite our overwhelming peculiar national difficulties, Nigerians still spare time to pray, recreate and smile.
Nigerians are also very innovative, resourceful and creative. These expertise spans through every field of human endeavour. Outside the shores of Nigeria, we have great engineers, nuclear physicists, computer scientists, politicians, barristers and solicitors, accountants, academics, soldiers, and doctors, etc, who are Nigerians. Wherever Nigerians find themselves, they take as their home; investing their resources to make the place develop and thrive.
Now to the enigma: why is Nigeria yet to get over its basic problems to expand its tentacles of development in such a way as to assume its rightful place in the scheme of things in the world? Is it not contradictory and pathetic that a nation like ours that has so much excellent attributes enumerated above should still be held with disdain by other nations in the world - not excluding some small countries on the Continent of Africa? The profile of Nigeria in the outside world is below average. In fact, Nigeria is viewed as a failed state by the developed economies for the simple reason that she has thrown away golden opportunities in the past to become great in thoughts and deeds. Just cast your mind back to the Fifa World Cup in South Africa, the goal Yakubu Ayenbeni missed against Greece shows the way our opportunities of becoming a great nation are played off target, because of greed.
Citizens of Nigeria are treated with contempt by security and immigration authorities at entry points into other countries, particularly the developed ones. They see Nigerian travellers as drug-pushers, child-kidnappers, money-launderers, and involvers in other forms of criminal activities. Of recent, due to the infamous action of Abdul-Muttalab, Nigerians are being seen as sponsors of terrorism. Even though the United States has reviewed its policy on Nigeria with relation to terrorism, the harm has already been done.
This ugly situation we find ourselves today, if I speak the minds of Nigerians, is a product of the ineffectiveness that has characterised leadership in the country. Right from independence, Nigeria has been very unlucky with its leaders. The period after independence up to the mid 60's witnessed a tensed effort to save it from self-perdition. But our gangsters who pride themselves as politicians, have made things worse for us. Everybody wants his own share of the national cake, even when it stands against his or her neighbours' good living. Our “lawbreakers” in the National assembly are in the fore front of this greed, the only cancer that is ripping us of the good name we share as a nation. They are devious tax dodgers and evaders and do not pay for the public services they enjoy; they steal and rob public coffers with their gold pens in addition to committing other nefarious activities. How many of these men and women have left office with complaints of salaries not paid? No wonder they never get satisfied and want to come back, even for a third term. Yet, we have civil servants with long years of arrears not cleared. Our greed is our ruin.
It is a colossal shame, an abundant negligence of moral and civic responsibility for a country like Nigeria on the eve of her fifty anniversary as an independent Nation, with its enviously educated citizenry to be so subjected to the stone age mentality of zoning political offices to geo-political regions a concept that has produced inept, incompetent and utterly worthless set of leaders and invariably taken our country to its seemingly inescapable waterloo. This certainly is not patriotism, but greed for what individuals will want to gain and not for the common good.
Nigeria today is populated with spiritual and political vampires who are suppose to fight for the common good of Nigerians, but have joined their tables to feast on the interest of common masses they stand to protect. Take it or leave it, developmentally we are sick and our sickness has gone beyond getting the best doctors, it goes with getting best drugs too. There will be no such thing as best doctor in absence of good drugs. We cannot rely on the fact that we are good people, when we have cancerous leaders, who are eating us up to a natural death.
Greedy leaders with personal investment outside the country, bank our money oversees and flying aboard for any medical care even headache is a routine. For me, I believe a decree of execution should be passed for any leader that will loot the treasures of the country to another country; a leader that fails to perform effectively after first year in office, should be removed immediately and every leader should be held accountable by his vow to office and if he fails to deliver, his case should be seen as breach of contract and so all he made from the time in office to when he was removed from office should be stripped from him. All the past leaders that had looted the nation in their various capacities should be forced to surrender all they had looted.
But who will begin the fight for a common good, when our syndrome is what I STAND TO GAIN GREED? Like us think…We will enjoy this life better if we accept to live in honest, humane, peace and harmony together. God, help us get to where you will want us to be in Jesus name….Amen!
By Rev. Fr. Leonard O. Anetekhai
Nigeria is a great nation in every respect. Its rich, vast and abundant resources to its wonderful people, makes it great and attractive to the outside world. Nigeria has prided herself as one of the most populous and panoramic nation on earth, a peaceful and striking place. As a people, we are hospitable, kind-hearted, full of life and resilient. Only a few nations in the world can boast of the peculiarities for which the nation prides itself.
Travelling the nook and cranny of this great nation, one can state without any reservation that it is the best nation in the world. Let us put aside the affluence, splendour and global acclamation of countries in Europe and America, including even those in Africa such as South Africa, there is none that can rival Nigeria in terms of its quietness, greenness and resplendence. Nigeria is simply a great nation!
Every Nigerian is entitled to his opinion just like mine. Believe it or not, if there are more suitable or grandiose words with which to express the splendour of this nation, I would be glad to use them. Aggregating the endowments of this God's nation will leave one perplexed, stupefied and speechless. What most powerful and richest nations in the world cannot boast of can be found in Nigeria. Name them: gold, diamond, tin, coal, crude oil, all kinds of domestic and wild animals, groundnut, palm tree, cocoa, rubber, assorted aquatic animals, magical landscapes, exciting grasslands, fine mountains and hills, game reserves, waterways, rivers and lakes, caves, holiday resorts, etc. It is just impossible listing all the goodies with which the good Lord has blessed Nigeria in one fell plunge, like a fisherman with so much of beautiful fishes in his net.
As a good people of a great nation we are hospitable, welcoming and kind-hearted. It was unanimously agreed of recent that Nigerians are the happiest people in the world. In fact, some commentators have opted to describe Nigerians as the salt of the earth. There is nowhere in the world you don't find at least a Nigerian. It is generally believed that anywhere there is no Nigerian is not good for human habitation. This verdict was not borne out of any frivolous assessment. Rather, it is a product of a meticulous and unbiased evaluation of the pressing circumstances under which we have lived and survived all these years. Despite our overwhelming peculiar national difficulties, Nigerians still spare time to pray, recreate and smile.
Nigerians are also very innovative, resourceful and creative. These expertise spans through every field of human endeavour. Outside the shores of Nigeria, we have great engineers, nuclear physicists, computer scientists, politicians, barristers and solicitors, accountants, academics, soldiers, and doctors, etc, who are Nigerians. Wherever Nigerians find themselves, they take as their home; investing their resources to make the place develop and thrive.
Now to the enigma: why is Nigeria yet to get over its basic problems to expand its tentacles of development in such a way as to assume its rightful place in the scheme of things in the world? Is it not contradictory and pathetic that a nation like ours that has so much excellent attributes enumerated above should still be held with disdain by other nations in the world - not excluding some small countries on the Continent of Africa? The profile of Nigeria in the outside world is below average. In fact, Nigeria is viewed as a failed state by the developed economies for the simple reason that she has thrown away golden opportunities in the past to become great in thoughts and deeds. Just cast your mind back to the Fifa World Cup in South Africa, the goal Yakubu Ayenbeni missed against Greece shows the way our opportunities of becoming a great nation are played off target, because of greed.
Citizens of Nigeria are treated with contempt by security and immigration authorities at entry points into other countries, particularly the developed ones. They see Nigerian travellers as drug-pushers, child-kidnappers, money-launderers, and involvers in other forms of criminal activities. Of recent, due to the infamous action of Abdul-Muttalab, Nigerians are being seen as sponsors of terrorism. Even though the United States has reviewed its policy on Nigeria with relation to terrorism, the harm has already been done.
This ugly situation we find ourselves today, if I speak the minds of Nigerians, is a product of the ineffectiveness that has characterised leadership in the country. Right from independence, Nigeria has been very unlucky with its leaders. The period after independence up to the mid 60's witnessed a tensed effort to save it from self-perdition. But our gangsters who pride themselves as politicians, have made things worse for us. Everybody wants his own share of the national cake, even when it stands against his or her neighbours' good living. Our “lawbreakers” in the National assembly are in the fore front of this greed, the only cancer that is ripping us of the good name we share as a nation. They are devious tax dodgers and evaders and do not pay for the public services they enjoy; they steal and rob public coffers with their gold pens in addition to committing other nefarious activities. How many of these men and women have left office with complaints of salaries not paid? No wonder they never get satisfied and want to come back, even for a third term. Yet, we have civil servants with long years of arrears not cleared. Our greed is our ruin.
It is a colossal shame, an abundant negligence of moral and civic responsibility for a country like Nigeria on the eve of her fifty anniversary as an independent Nation, with its enviously educated citizenry to be so subjected to the stone age mentality of zoning political offices to geo-political regions a concept that has produced inept, incompetent and utterly worthless set of leaders and invariably taken our country to its seemingly inescapable waterloo. This certainly is not patriotism, but greed for what individuals will want to gain and not for the common good.
Nigeria today is populated with spiritual and political vampires who are suppose to fight for the common good of Nigerians, but have joined their tables to feast on the interest of common masses they stand to protect. Take it or leave it, developmentally we are sick and our sickness has gone beyond getting the best doctors, it goes with getting best drugs too. There will be no such thing as best doctor in absence of good drugs. We cannot rely on the fact that we are good people, when we have cancerous leaders, who are eating us up to a natural death.
Greedy leaders with personal investment outside the country, bank our money oversees and flying aboard for any medical care even headache is a routine. For me, I believe a decree of execution should be passed for any leader that will loot the treasures of the country to another country; a leader that fails to perform effectively after first year in office, should be removed immediately and every leader should be held accountable by his vow to office and if he fails to deliver, his case should be seen as breach of contract and so all he made from the time in office to when he was removed from office should be stripped from him. All the past leaders that had looted the nation in their various capacities should be forced to surrender all they had looted.
But who will begin the fight for a common good, when our syndrome is what I STAND TO GAIN GREED? Like us think…We will enjoy this life better if we accept to live in honest, humane, peace and harmony together. God, help us get to where you will want us to be in Jesus name….Amen!
WHY DO WE ASK THE SAINTS TO PRAY FOR US?
By Rev. Fr. Stan-William Ede
Questions regarding the Saints usually come in different forms such as: Who is a saint? Why do we pray to the saints? Does God not hear our prayers? So, why do we ask the saints to pray for us? What makes a person qualified for canonization as a Saint and what is the process? And so on. On this column this week, our discussion on the saints will throw light and espouse all of the afore-stated questions except the very last of them. The last question on canonization is a whole topic of its own that requires lots of pages, and so we make it a topic for discussion in another edition. But first, let us find out who a saint is and why we have to pray to the saints and ask them to pray for us.
In a general sense, a “Saint” is anyone who is in a state of grace. In the strict sense however, it refers to those who by their heroic virtue during life are recognized by the Church through canonization or at least the Ordinary Magisterium (Teaching Authority) of the Church. This official recognition indicates that such persons are in heaven and may be publicly invoked, since their virtues and death are an example and witness to Christians.
According to a renown Professor of Theology, Richard McBrien, (cf. Catholicism, San Francisco: Harper Collins Pub., 1994, pp. 1109-1110), there are at least four different meanings of the word “saint”: (1) all those who have been justified by the grace of Christ, whether they be living or dead; (2) those who, having been justified by Christ on earth, have entered into eternal life; (3) particular figures, especially biblical personages, who are examples of holiness; (4) those whom the Church, either through custom or formal canonization, has singled out as members of the Church triumphant, so that they may be commemorated in public worship.
In the Catholic tradition, all four levels of meaning apply to the term “saints”, but the 2nd, 3rd and 4th levels are usually referred to when, every November 1st, we celebrate the “Feast of All Saints”. Nevertheless, the 4th level comprising those formally recognized by the Church constitutes the aspects that elicits most of the questions in matters of the saints, and that is what we shall mostly focus on, even though the preceding two levels come into play explicitly or implicitly.
When the Church celebrates the feast of saints, it does so not to draw attention away from Christ who is the one mediator between ourselves and God, but rather to proclaim the wonderful works of Christ in his servants, and display to the faithful, fitting examples for their imitation. St. Paul rightly proclaims that God is the glory of the saints and is glorified in the saints (2Thess. 1:10).
In his visions, St. John saw in heaven, a huge crowd, a great multitude impossible to count standing before the throne and always in the presence of the Holy Trinity. They are the ones who have come out of great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (cf. Rev. 7:9-17)
We venerate (i.e. honour, and not worship or adore) the saints. In other words, we respect, love and commune with the saints because they are venerable, respectable, communicable and lovable. The saints are not extra-ordinary beings but human beings like us who lived in the same world as ours now, but in an excellent and virtuous manner. They have now, thanks to their excellence, attained the ultimate height, our heavenly home, the beatific vision of God. They have departed this physical and earthly realm, but they live now in the presence of God, crowned with victory for a life gracefully accomplished while following Jesus the Lamb (Rev. 7:14-15).
As Vatican II teaches, the Church has always believed that the apostles and Christ's martyrs, who gave the supreme witness of faith and charity by the shedding of their blood, are closely united with us in Christ; she has always venerated them, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and the holy angels, with a special love, and asked piously for the help of their intercession (cf. Lumen Gentium, 50). To look on the life of those who have faithfully followed Christ is to be inspired with a new reason for seeking the blissful city which is to come (cf. Heb. 13:14; 11:10).
It is pertinent to note, as the Church teaches, that it is not merely by the title of example that we cherish the memory of those in heaven, but the strengthening of the union of the whole Church in the Spirit through devotion to the exercise of fraternal charity (cf. Eph. 4:1-6). Exactly as Christian communion between men on their earthly pilgrimage brings us closer to Christ, so our community with the saints joins us to Christ. It is most fitting, therefore that we love those friends and co-heirs of Jesus Christ who are also our brothers and outstanding benefactors, and that we give due thanks to God for them, humbly invoking them, and having recourse to their prayers, their aid and help in obtaining from God through his Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord, our only Redeemer and Saviour, the benefits we need (cf. Lumen Gentium, 50).
In the natural order, we seek the help and assistance of those who can assist us to obtain our needs or solve our problems. It has even become all too popular in a country like Nigeria to go through influential persons to obtain admission or appointment, or to get off the hooks of certain persons considered to be taking undue advantage of their positions to oppress others.
In the spiritual, moral and supernatural order, we also do, and must be at the service of one another. The nearer one is to God in holiness, the more able he would be to assist with prayers to obtain mercies from God for those in need. Thus, God asked Abimelech to request Abraham's prayers: “He shall pray for you and you shall live” (Gen. 20:7); “Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and healed his wife and female servants that they bore children” (Gen. 20:17). Moses' intercession saved the Hebrew people in the desert (Ex. 32:11-14). God declared that He'll listen to Job's prayers for Eliphaz and group (Job 42:8-10). When Tobit and Sarah prayed, it was Raphael the Archangel who brought and read the record of their prayers before the glory of the Lord (Tob. 12:12).
St. Paul constantly requested for, and encouraged the prayers from, and among the saints (cf. 1 Thess. 5:25; Eph. 6:18; Rom. 15:30). Let us however note that Christ remains the sole mediator between God and man. The saints are not mediators but effective helpers and guide in our struggle to attain the glory of God via Christ's unique mediation. According to St. John Chrysostom, the saints are able to aid us via the merits of Christ our one mediator. They assist us via their greater powers as holy people to attain our common ultimate end. According to St. Jerome, the saints, having been one with us as the militant Church, now assist us more effectively as the triumphant Church in the Father's bosom. That is the reason why even “angels rejoice greatly over one sinner who repents” (Lk. 15:10).
As found in the spiritual book, My Daily Bread, Jesus speaks to us thus: “Honor My saints not only for the help which they can obtain for you, but also because they are the firmest heroes of all mankind. The greater the cause for which a man lives, the greater the man. The saints lived for my glory, for the praise of my goodness and the following of my truth. Theirs was the highest, most noble, and least selfish of all causes”.
By reason of the fact that those in heaven are more closely united with Christ, they establish the whole Church more firmly in holiness, lend nobility to the worship which the Church offers to God here on earth, and in many ways contribute to its greater edification. They shared our humanity while their lives were more perfectly transformed into the image of Christ. God vividly manifests his presence in them and his face to men. He speaks to us in them, and gives us a sign of his kingdom, to which we are strongly drawn, having so great a cloud of witnesses over us (Heb. 12:2) and such testimony to the truth of the Gospel.
To the extent we share with saints not only in the common commitment of following our Lord Jesus but some more special form of serving him, it is appropriate that we develop a special closeness to them, while as individuals we may have one or some that we have particular closeness and devotions to. Their lives exhibit many more definite aspects of goodness and particular ways of holiness to imitate as we find on the life of Jesus himself. Furthermore, since we share in their work, it is only to be expected that they do what they can to help us. These close personal relationships with real though invisible friends give our hope a concreteness and vivacity it otherwise lacks.
One who is conscious of the communion of saints, which gathers together God's children of every time and place, is not likely to be overly impressed with arguments based on the values of contemporary humankind. The “contemporary” world rapidly passes away; the relevance of today is the straitjacket of tomorrow. But why do members of this one generation imagine their judgment to be a reflection of anything but rationalization, when far larger groups of persons already have reached heaven by accepting this teaching and striving to live up to it, often with great sacrifices which showed a love of Jesus not so evident today?
According to our beloved Pope John Paul the Great, “Today, those white robes which St. John described, shine with a thousand lights; they are the innumerable reflections of one single Light which a multitude of men and women 'from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues' (Rev 7:9) reflect over the whole Church. They are men and women who show us Gods holiness incarnate in the human being.” The saints are members of Christ's glorified body, and form the Church triumphant, yet they are also in communion with us, in the bond of charity which never diminishes. Charity makes them united with us and solicitous for us; this is the ineffable mystery of the saints. Through this there exists a profound relationship between those who are still pilgrims on this earth, those who are being purified, and those who enjoy glory (cf. Lumen Gentium, 49).
Through this deep unity we should feel closer today to all the saints who, before us, have believed all that we believe, and who are now our friends and intercessors in heaven.
By Rev. Fr. Stan-William Ede
Questions regarding the Saints usually come in different forms such as: Who is a saint? Why do we pray to the saints? Does God not hear our prayers? So, why do we ask the saints to pray for us? What makes a person qualified for canonization as a Saint and what is the process? And so on. On this column this week, our discussion on the saints will throw light and espouse all of the afore-stated questions except the very last of them. The last question on canonization is a whole topic of its own that requires lots of pages, and so we make it a topic for discussion in another edition. But first, let us find out who a saint is and why we have to pray to the saints and ask them to pray for us.
In a general sense, a “Saint” is anyone who is in a state of grace. In the strict sense however, it refers to those who by their heroic virtue during life are recognized by the Church through canonization or at least the Ordinary Magisterium (Teaching Authority) of the Church. This official recognition indicates that such persons are in heaven and may be publicly invoked, since their virtues and death are an example and witness to Christians.
According to a renown Professor of Theology, Richard McBrien, (cf. Catholicism, San Francisco: Harper Collins Pub., 1994, pp. 1109-1110), there are at least four different meanings of the word “saint”: (1) all those who have been justified by the grace of Christ, whether they be living or dead; (2) those who, having been justified by Christ on earth, have entered into eternal life; (3) particular figures, especially biblical personages, who are examples of holiness; (4) those whom the Church, either through custom or formal canonization, has singled out as members of the Church triumphant, so that they may be commemorated in public worship.
In the Catholic tradition, all four levels of meaning apply to the term “saints”, but the 2nd, 3rd and 4th levels are usually referred to when, every November 1st, we celebrate the “Feast of All Saints”. Nevertheless, the 4th level comprising those formally recognized by the Church constitutes the aspects that elicits most of the questions in matters of the saints, and that is what we shall mostly focus on, even though the preceding two levels come into play explicitly or implicitly.
When the Church celebrates the feast of saints, it does so not to draw attention away from Christ who is the one mediator between ourselves and God, but rather to proclaim the wonderful works of Christ in his servants, and display to the faithful, fitting examples for their imitation. St. Paul rightly proclaims that God is the glory of the saints and is glorified in the saints (2Thess. 1:10).
In his visions, St. John saw in heaven, a huge crowd, a great multitude impossible to count standing before the throne and always in the presence of the Holy Trinity. They are the ones who have come out of great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (cf. Rev. 7:9-17)
We venerate (i.e. honour, and not worship or adore) the saints. In other words, we respect, love and commune with the saints because they are venerable, respectable, communicable and lovable. The saints are not extra-ordinary beings but human beings like us who lived in the same world as ours now, but in an excellent and virtuous manner. They have now, thanks to their excellence, attained the ultimate height, our heavenly home, the beatific vision of God. They have departed this physical and earthly realm, but they live now in the presence of God, crowned with victory for a life gracefully accomplished while following Jesus the Lamb (Rev. 7:14-15).
As Vatican II teaches, the Church has always believed that the apostles and Christ's martyrs, who gave the supreme witness of faith and charity by the shedding of their blood, are closely united with us in Christ; she has always venerated them, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and the holy angels, with a special love, and asked piously for the help of their intercession (cf. Lumen Gentium, 50). To look on the life of those who have faithfully followed Christ is to be inspired with a new reason for seeking the blissful city which is to come (cf. Heb. 13:14; 11:10).
It is pertinent to note, as the Church teaches, that it is not merely by the title of example that we cherish the memory of those in heaven, but the strengthening of the union of the whole Church in the Spirit through devotion to the exercise of fraternal charity (cf. Eph. 4:1-6). Exactly as Christian communion between men on their earthly pilgrimage brings us closer to Christ, so our community with the saints joins us to Christ. It is most fitting, therefore that we love those friends and co-heirs of Jesus Christ who are also our brothers and outstanding benefactors, and that we give due thanks to God for them, humbly invoking them, and having recourse to their prayers, their aid and help in obtaining from God through his Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord, our only Redeemer and Saviour, the benefits we need (cf. Lumen Gentium, 50).
In the natural order, we seek the help and assistance of those who can assist us to obtain our needs or solve our problems. It has even become all too popular in a country like Nigeria to go through influential persons to obtain admission or appointment, or to get off the hooks of certain persons considered to be taking undue advantage of their positions to oppress others.
In the spiritual, moral and supernatural order, we also do, and must be at the service of one another. The nearer one is to God in holiness, the more able he would be to assist with prayers to obtain mercies from God for those in need. Thus, God asked Abimelech to request Abraham's prayers: “He shall pray for you and you shall live” (Gen. 20:7); “Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and healed his wife and female servants that they bore children” (Gen. 20:17). Moses' intercession saved the Hebrew people in the desert (Ex. 32:11-14). God declared that He'll listen to Job's prayers for Eliphaz and group (Job 42:8-10). When Tobit and Sarah prayed, it was Raphael the Archangel who brought and read the record of their prayers before the glory of the Lord (Tob. 12:12).
St. Paul constantly requested for, and encouraged the prayers from, and among the saints (cf. 1 Thess. 5:25; Eph. 6:18; Rom. 15:30). Let us however note that Christ remains the sole mediator between God and man. The saints are not mediators but effective helpers and guide in our struggle to attain the glory of God via Christ's unique mediation. According to St. John Chrysostom, the saints are able to aid us via the merits of Christ our one mediator. They assist us via their greater powers as holy people to attain our common ultimate end. According to St. Jerome, the saints, having been one with us as the militant Church, now assist us more effectively as the triumphant Church in the Father's bosom. That is the reason why even “angels rejoice greatly over one sinner who repents” (Lk. 15:10).
As found in the spiritual book, My Daily Bread, Jesus speaks to us thus: “Honor My saints not only for the help which they can obtain for you, but also because they are the firmest heroes of all mankind. The greater the cause for which a man lives, the greater the man. The saints lived for my glory, for the praise of my goodness and the following of my truth. Theirs was the highest, most noble, and least selfish of all causes”.
By reason of the fact that those in heaven are more closely united with Christ, they establish the whole Church more firmly in holiness, lend nobility to the worship which the Church offers to God here on earth, and in many ways contribute to its greater edification. They shared our humanity while their lives were more perfectly transformed into the image of Christ. God vividly manifests his presence in them and his face to men. He speaks to us in them, and gives us a sign of his kingdom, to which we are strongly drawn, having so great a cloud of witnesses over us (Heb. 12:2) and such testimony to the truth of the Gospel.
To the extent we share with saints not only in the common commitment of following our Lord Jesus but some more special form of serving him, it is appropriate that we develop a special closeness to them, while as individuals we may have one or some that we have particular closeness and devotions to. Their lives exhibit many more definite aspects of goodness and particular ways of holiness to imitate as we find on the life of Jesus himself. Furthermore, since we share in their work, it is only to be expected that they do what they can to help us. These close personal relationships with real though invisible friends give our hope a concreteness and vivacity it otherwise lacks.
One who is conscious of the communion of saints, which gathers together God's children of every time and place, is not likely to be overly impressed with arguments based on the values of contemporary humankind. The “contemporary” world rapidly passes away; the relevance of today is the straitjacket of tomorrow. But why do members of this one generation imagine their judgment to be a reflection of anything but rationalization, when far larger groups of persons already have reached heaven by accepting this teaching and striving to live up to it, often with great sacrifices which showed a love of Jesus not so evident today?
According to our beloved Pope John Paul the Great, “Today, those white robes which St. John described, shine with a thousand lights; they are the innumerable reflections of one single Light which a multitude of men and women 'from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues' (Rev 7:9) reflect over the whole Church. They are men and women who show us Gods holiness incarnate in the human being.” The saints are members of Christ's glorified body, and form the Church triumphant, yet they are also in communion with us, in the bond of charity which never diminishes. Charity makes them united with us and solicitous for us; this is the ineffable mystery of the saints. Through this there exists a profound relationship between those who are still pilgrims on this earth, those who are being purified, and those who enjoy glory (cf. Lumen Gentium, 49).
Through this deep unity we should feel closer today to all the saints who, before us, have believed all that we believe, and who are now our friends and intercessors in heaven.
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND HER SIX COMMANDMENTS (I)
By Rev. Fr. Anselm Jimoh
The church desires that her members be true and authentic Christians by living up to the expectation of Christianity. In other words, Catholic Christians are expected to live lives worthy of the call of Christ. As part of the measures to help and enable Catholics to be true Christians, the Church instituted six commandments, which in recent Church language are now referred to “precepts.” The Church extols and impresses on all Catholics to adhere to these precepts. These precepts do not replace the Ten Commandments of God, neither do they compete with them or deplete them.
The Ten Commandments of God are unchangeable and not subject to alteration of man or the Church. They are divine and the church only interprets and explains them. Whereas, the precepts of the Church are guidelines for Christians to assist and enable them adhere and keep the Ten Commandments. Since they were instituted by the Church, the Church can always amend or even alter them.
A closer look at the precepts of the Church, which is the aim of this article, shows that they are extensions of God's Ten Commandments. They do not remove, diminish, or belittle the Ten Commandments, but spell out the duties and responsibilities of Christians as required by the Ten Commandments.
The 1971 edition of the “Penny Catechism” in question 229 asked: “What are the chief commandments of the church?” Note that this question and questions 247 and 248, which deals with the precepts of the Church, were revised in 1978. Perhaps this explains why the new Catechism of the Catholic Church (ccc) dropped the term “commandments” in preference for “precepts” (ccc. 2041 -2043). As in the revised edition of the Penny Catechism, the precept on the contribution to the support of your Pastor is not listed but referred to in the text.
The precepts of the Church are: (i) To keep the Sundays and holy days of obligation, holy, by hearing Mass and resting from servile works, (ii) To keep the days of fasting and abstinence appointed by the church, (iii) To go to confession at least once a year, (iv) To receive the Blessed Sacrament at least once a year, and that at Easter or thereabouts, (v) To contribute to the support of our Pastors, (vi) Not to marry within certain degrees of kindred.
Many Catholics are not aware of these precepts, let alone make efforts to keep them. What is observable show that a high percentage of Catholics are barely aware of these precepts. They perhaps know there are certain precepts of the Church, but cannot even list them; not to talk about practice them. Catechumens are taught to memorize these precepts and no sooner have they received the sacraments, they forget the precepts. Even at the time they memorize the precepts, they cannot explain them as they are never taught the meaning of some of the operative terms in which the precepts are framed.
The first precept obliges us to keep Sundays holy as a day set aside to serve the Lord. To aid us in dedicating that day to the Lord, we are to attend Mass (ccc 1389) and avoid any strenuous work that would divert our attention from God. This is precisely what “servile works” refer to; any work that brings material benefits. This requires some clarifications to avoid a blind and false interpretation.
Such essential services provided by health care workers, social services or humanitarian workers, as well as transporters are not necessarily included here. Thus, a Nurse on duty, or a doctor on call, a transporter expected to convey a group to certain destination on a particular mission on a day that unavoidably falls on Sunday or a holy day of obligation, may not be bound by this precept. Those seriously sick and saddled with the responsibility of taking care of them are equally exempt from this precept. Therefore, it is not every time one fails to attend mass on Sunday or holy day of obligation that he/she has sinned. However, such excuses like; traveling, the Catholic Church was not close by, I did not know where the Catholic Church was in the area as I was a visitor there, I was attending to my relations who came home for a burial, etc. are definitely not good reasons to miss Sunday Mass.
This precept also binds parents, guardians, and masters to allow all in their charge to attend Mass on Sundays. There are known cases where masters go to church and ask their wards to stay at home or go to the market or do other things that would not allow them attend Mass that Sunday.
Holy days of obligation are days that should be treated as Sundays. These are days of solemnities that may not necessarily fall on a Sunday. Some of such solemnities include Assumption, the feast of All Saints, and others. As stated in the Roman calendar.
The second precept binds all Catholics to keep the days of fasting and abstinence appointed by the Church. These days are Ash Wednesday; that marks the beginning of the Lenten season and Good Friday: the day Jesus Christ was crucified. Apart from these days, the Church encourages all the faithful to periodically practice abstinence and fasting especially during the Lenten season and all Fridays of the year (ccc 1438, SC 109 110). This is to help the faithful with self-control, discipline, and the master over the desires of the flesh, which more often than not disposes us to sin.
We have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory (Rom.3:23). But God like the father of the prodigal son, is always willing and happy to welcome us back, so we are called to turn away from sin and do penance. Fasting and abstinence are aspects of penance. The Church encourages us to practice them so as to cultivate the good habit of self discipline that puts our inordinate appetite under check. Fasting and abstinence is recommended for the physically healthy and those who are within the age bracket of 15 - 65 years old. Those who are sick and are under aged are not bound by this as it may do them more harm than good.
Fasting and abstinence is not about food and drink alone but more so, such things that can easily lure us away from God and deceitfully put us on the path of sin. Fasting and abstinence can take the form of suspending our favourite TV programme, social entertainment, limiting the intake of our favourite meal. etc. All these help us to master our instincts and freedom of heart, (ccc 2043).
The third precept obliges the faithful to go to confession at least once a year. This is the barest minimum; otherwise, confession should be a very regular practice for any good Christian. Unfortunately, for various reasons which we cannot discuss within the present scope, it is one of the least utilized sacraments. In most parishes the number of penitents at weekly confession is ridiculously small in comparism to the number of communicants on Sundays. I wonder at times if people no longer sin. As the latter is definitely not the case, it would most likely be the case then that the faithful do not find it necessary to go to confession. Many wait for Easter to keep the once a year obligatory confession.
Every good Christian is encouraged to go to confession as often as he/she falls into serious sin. Serious sin refers to what we generally call “mortal” sin; a term that has been replaced with “grievous” or “serious” in contemporary ecclesia terminology. A serious or grave sin destroys the sanctifying grace of God in us. “Confession is the act of accusing ourselves of our sins to a priest approved by the Bishop.” (Penny Catechism, in. 295). It is a humble act of asking God's forgiveness that avail us of the forgiving grace of God and the restoration of God's sanctifying grace in our lives. Many Catholics are deceived today by the Protestant and Pentecostal claim that we do not need sacramental confession but we can on our own ask God's forgiveness without confessing to a priest
By Rev. Fr. Anselm Jimoh
The church desires that her members be true and authentic Christians by living up to the expectation of Christianity. In other words, Catholic Christians are expected to live lives worthy of the call of Christ. As part of the measures to help and enable Catholics to be true Christians, the Church instituted six commandments, which in recent Church language are now referred to “precepts.” The Church extols and impresses on all Catholics to adhere to these precepts. These precepts do not replace the Ten Commandments of God, neither do they compete with them or deplete them.
The Ten Commandments of God are unchangeable and not subject to alteration of man or the Church. They are divine and the church only interprets and explains them. Whereas, the precepts of the Church are guidelines for Christians to assist and enable them adhere and keep the Ten Commandments. Since they were instituted by the Church, the Church can always amend or even alter them.
A closer look at the precepts of the Church, which is the aim of this article, shows that they are extensions of God's Ten Commandments. They do not remove, diminish, or belittle the Ten Commandments, but spell out the duties and responsibilities of Christians as required by the Ten Commandments.
The 1971 edition of the “Penny Catechism” in question 229 asked: “What are the chief commandments of the church?” Note that this question and questions 247 and 248, which deals with the precepts of the Church, were revised in 1978. Perhaps this explains why the new Catechism of the Catholic Church (ccc) dropped the term “commandments” in preference for “precepts” (ccc. 2041 -2043). As in the revised edition of the Penny Catechism, the precept on the contribution to the support of your Pastor is not listed but referred to in the text.
The precepts of the Church are: (i) To keep the Sundays and holy days of obligation, holy, by hearing Mass and resting from servile works, (ii) To keep the days of fasting and abstinence appointed by the church, (iii) To go to confession at least once a year, (iv) To receive the Blessed Sacrament at least once a year, and that at Easter or thereabouts, (v) To contribute to the support of our Pastors, (vi) Not to marry within certain degrees of kindred.
Many Catholics are not aware of these precepts, let alone make efforts to keep them. What is observable show that a high percentage of Catholics are barely aware of these precepts. They perhaps know there are certain precepts of the Church, but cannot even list them; not to talk about practice them. Catechumens are taught to memorize these precepts and no sooner have they received the sacraments, they forget the precepts. Even at the time they memorize the precepts, they cannot explain them as they are never taught the meaning of some of the operative terms in which the precepts are framed.
The first precept obliges us to keep Sundays holy as a day set aside to serve the Lord. To aid us in dedicating that day to the Lord, we are to attend Mass (ccc 1389) and avoid any strenuous work that would divert our attention from God. This is precisely what “servile works” refer to; any work that brings material benefits. This requires some clarifications to avoid a blind and false interpretation.
Such essential services provided by health care workers, social services or humanitarian workers, as well as transporters are not necessarily included here. Thus, a Nurse on duty, or a doctor on call, a transporter expected to convey a group to certain destination on a particular mission on a day that unavoidably falls on Sunday or a holy day of obligation, may not be bound by this precept. Those seriously sick and saddled with the responsibility of taking care of them are equally exempt from this precept. Therefore, it is not every time one fails to attend mass on Sunday or holy day of obligation that he/she has sinned. However, such excuses like; traveling, the Catholic Church was not close by, I did not know where the Catholic Church was in the area as I was a visitor there, I was attending to my relations who came home for a burial, etc. are definitely not good reasons to miss Sunday Mass.
This precept also binds parents, guardians, and masters to allow all in their charge to attend Mass on Sundays. There are known cases where masters go to church and ask their wards to stay at home or go to the market or do other things that would not allow them attend Mass that Sunday.
Holy days of obligation are days that should be treated as Sundays. These are days of solemnities that may not necessarily fall on a Sunday. Some of such solemnities include Assumption, the feast of All Saints, and others. As stated in the Roman calendar.
The second precept binds all Catholics to keep the days of fasting and abstinence appointed by the Church. These days are Ash Wednesday; that marks the beginning of the Lenten season and Good Friday: the day Jesus Christ was crucified. Apart from these days, the Church encourages all the faithful to periodically practice abstinence and fasting especially during the Lenten season and all Fridays of the year (ccc 1438, SC 109 110). This is to help the faithful with self-control, discipline, and the master over the desires of the flesh, which more often than not disposes us to sin.
We have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory (Rom.3:23). But God like the father of the prodigal son, is always willing and happy to welcome us back, so we are called to turn away from sin and do penance. Fasting and abstinence are aspects of penance. The Church encourages us to practice them so as to cultivate the good habit of self discipline that puts our inordinate appetite under check. Fasting and abstinence is recommended for the physically healthy and those who are within the age bracket of 15 - 65 years old. Those who are sick and are under aged are not bound by this as it may do them more harm than good.
Fasting and abstinence is not about food and drink alone but more so, such things that can easily lure us away from God and deceitfully put us on the path of sin. Fasting and abstinence can take the form of suspending our favourite TV programme, social entertainment, limiting the intake of our favourite meal. etc. All these help us to master our instincts and freedom of heart, (ccc 2043).
The third precept obliges the faithful to go to confession at least once a year. This is the barest minimum; otherwise, confession should be a very regular practice for any good Christian. Unfortunately, for various reasons which we cannot discuss within the present scope, it is one of the least utilized sacraments. In most parishes the number of penitents at weekly confession is ridiculously small in comparism to the number of communicants on Sundays. I wonder at times if people no longer sin. As the latter is definitely not the case, it would most likely be the case then that the faithful do not find it necessary to go to confession. Many wait for Easter to keep the once a year obligatory confession.
Every good Christian is encouraged to go to confession as often as he/she falls into serious sin. Serious sin refers to what we generally call “mortal” sin; a term that has been replaced with “grievous” or “serious” in contemporary ecclesia terminology. A serious or grave sin destroys the sanctifying grace of God in us. “Confession is the act of accusing ourselves of our sins to a priest approved by the Bishop.” (Penny Catechism, in. 295). It is a humble act of asking God's forgiveness that avail us of the forgiving grace of God and the restoration of God's sanctifying grace in our lives. Many Catholics are deceived today by the Protestant and Pentecostal claim that we do not need sacramental confession but we can on our own ask God's forgiveness without confessing to a priest
CATHOLICS AND THE CROSS
The cross is a symbol of salvation and attached to it is a figure of suffering. There cannot be a perfect Christian living without a constant reminder of the cross. Jesus says this to all Christians about the cross: The Christian life cannot in any way be devoid of the cross. Christ himself carried His cross to Calvary, suffered death before He rose to glory.
As Catholics, Christ did not in anyway promise us a life free of persecution and challenges in the form of pain and suffering, He rather admonished His followers to pick up their individual crosses and follow Him and also to endure all trails and persecutions. (Cf. Jn 16: 33). Prosperity preachers in our today world overlook the value of the cross and human suffering in achieving a greater good the salvation of our souls.
Sickness, broken relationships and insufficient resources are among sources of pain and suffering. Some are by chance, like an auto accident that maims us or a cancer that cripples our loved ones or even takes their live. Some are by neglect, such as our failure to prepare for times of pressure. Some are by design, where we willingly take on enormous responsibilities in order to achieve some goal. Some are by sin, where we willingly go against God's commands and then must suffer the consequences. Whatever the source, we all feel the dark shadow of suffering.
Instead of denying or pretending that our crosses are not there, our best bet as Catholics is to acknowledge and accept the pains, challenges and sufferings that we must bear and seek hope and solace in His promise to help us bear it all.
The cross as expressed in discomforts, afflictions, suffering, unhappiness, pains, trails, difficulties and persecutions are used to strengthen, restore and establish the children of God, who humbly yield themselves to it. The Bible testifies: “But after you have suffered a little while, the God of grace, who calls you to share His eternal glory in union with Christ, will himself perfect you and give you firmness, strength, and a sure foundation. (Cf. 1 Peter 5: 10).
The cross is a symbol of salvation and attached to it is a figure of suffering. There cannot be a perfect Christian living without a constant reminder of the cross. Jesus says this to all Christians about the cross: The Christian life cannot in any way be devoid of the cross. Christ himself carried His cross to Calvary, suffered death before He rose to glory.
As Catholics, Christ did not in anyway promise us a life free of persecution and challenges in the form of pain and suffering, He rather admonished His followers to pick up their individual crosses and follow Him and also to endure all trails and persecutions. (Cf. Jn 16: 33). Prosperity preachers in our today world overlook the value of the cross and human suffering in achieving a greater good the salvation of our souls.
Sickness, broken relationships and insufficient resources are among sources of pain and suffering. Some are by chance, like an auto accident that maims us or a cancer that cripples our loved ones or even takes their live. Some are by neglect, such as our failure to prepare for times of pressure. Some are by design, where we willingly take on enormous responsibilities in order to achieve some goal. Some are by sin, where we willingly go against God's commands and then must suffer the consequences. Whatever the source, we all feel the dark shadow of suffering.
Instead of denying or pretending that our crosses are not there, our best bet as Catholics is to acknowledge and accept the pains, challenges and sufferings that we must bear and seek hope and solace in His promise to help us bear it all.
The cross as expressed in discomforts, afflictions, suffering, unhappiness, pains, trails, difficulties and persecutions are used to strengthen, restore and establish the children of God, who humbly yield themselves to it. The Bible testifies: “But after you have suffered a little while, the God of grace, who calls you to share His eternal glory in union with Christ, will himself perfect you and give you firmness, strength, and a sure foundation. (Cf. 1 Peter 5: 10).
BEHOLD THE GREATEST AND SUPREME GIFT THAT HAS EVER BEEN GIVEN
HOMILY DELIVERED BY HIS LORDSHIP, MOST REV. DR. GABRIEL G. DUNIA AT IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHEDRAL AUCHI, ON THE OCCASION OE THE PRIESTLY ORDINATION OF EIGHT PRIESTS FOR THE DIOCESE OF AUCHI.
Jesus Christ, the perfect heavenly priest is both the priesthood and the plenitude (that is the fullness) of priesthood itself. The very fact that Christ (who of himself) is the union of God with man, makes it easy to understand that the priesthood of Christ which is the union of God with man is the greatest and supreme gift that has ever been given to man. (Cf. Hebrews 7: 26-28). Not even the angels have this honour.
If and when any man is called and he answers the call from God 10 become and be a priest, priesthood is subsequently conferred on him, he is anointed with the spirit of Christ to be another Christ (alter christus) upon whom the spirit of the Lord is to proclaim the good news to the poor, to free the captives, to give sight to the blind, to give joy to those in sorrow and announce the Lord's year of favour (Lk 4: 18-20). The conferment of this Spirit and its authority to do and undo is an unequivocal confirmation that there can be nothing greater on earth, in this world than the gift of priesthood and a priest, nothing but God and only God Himself
The priest is therefore not merely an imitator of Christ; he is alter christus -another Christ.
The proof that the priest is another Christ, to be and do what Christ has done and does is clearly summarized thus:
Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins..... he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And no one takes the honour upon himself but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. (Heb,5: 1,3-4)
In being what Christ is, the priest is segregatus in Evangelism Del = he is set apart for (proclamation of) the gospel (the good news) of God. (cf Rom: 1: 1). He offers the same sacrifice which Christ offered; he models himself in exactitude in the life and ministry of Christ, he becomes and be a true witness to the totality of the life, works, suffering, crucifixion, death and resurrection of his master. Jesus Christ.
Knowing that priesthood is conferred on the recipient to constitute him a mediator between God and man, acting in persona Christi (in the person of Christ). It is not part of the priest's duties to seek and find self-exaltation, pride, power, dominion, vain glories, infidelity, disobedience, obstinacy and the likes. It is part and parcel of the priestly life and ministry for the priest to seek and find the love of God, obedience, faith, piety, self-effacement and total sacrifice of himself
My dear sons, today you are going to be conferred with the greatest and supreme gift that has ever been given to man, to any created being for that matter Although the priesthood is conferred upon human being, mere earthenware jar, a fragile vessel, ordinary clay pot, as it ware, it's tremendously sublime. It is imaginably amazing, it is supernatural!}1 terrible. For this reason, Mother Trinida. in recounting what she saw and experienced during the celebration of Mass, the Holy Eucharist. she said "if I were a priest, I would have died shortly after the celebration of my first mass", the reason is that what she saw and experienced during Mass was simply referred to as "terrible terribility".
The Catholic priest, should therefore revere most profound that priesthood of Christ which has been conferred upon him. He should not toil with it; he cannot afford to toil with it in any way, for whatever reason. Obviously, the priest should know that if he dares to toil with the priesthood of Christ, he is bound to fail and if he fails, the consequences are grave; he will be rejected both by friends and foes heaven and earth; for failure like poverty, has no friend, no father, no mother, no brother, no sister, no neighbour and "no nothing", at all. Hence, Christ Himself states: it is the one who does the will of my Father in heaven who is my brother and sister and mother (Matt 12:50; cfMk 3: 34).
Therefore, you must be most faithfully committed to celebrating, worshiping and adoring the Most Holy Eucharist as the centre, the summit (or highest point) around which the rest of your priestly duties and obligations point and revolve. As alter christus, you must unreservedly serve like your master who came to serve not to be served. You must be crucified with Christ; you must constitute the true bread, the Body and Blood to be consumed: you must be gift of God to man. to the world and gift from man to God. The God who we cannot see ordinarily must be made visible in the Eucharist, because ''the Eucharist is a glorious ray of heavenly Jerusalem which pierces the clouds of history and lights upon our journey" Ecclesia de Eucharesia number 19. Priesthood, the Eucharist and the Church are intimately united. No priesthood, no Eucharist, no Church, (cf. Archbishop Donald W. Wuer). The priestly spirituality is intrinsically Eucharistic (cf Sacramentum Caristatis - Pope Benedict XXVI, no 80.
And you my beloved faithful of Christ, clergy, consecrated persons and laity, guide and guard the priesthood and priests of Christ in the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church most jealously. Your being proud or ashamed of the priesthood of Christ in the Catholic Church can depend, to a large extent upon whether you produce and provide the bullets and the smooth ground with which and upon which the battle can be fought and won or fought and lost by the priest.
HOMILY DELIVERED BY HIS LORDSHIP, MOST REV. DR. GABRIEL G. DUNIA AT IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHEDRAL AUCHI, ON THE OCCASION OE THE PRIESTLY ORDINATION OF EIGHT PRIESTS FOR THE DIOCESE OF AUCHI.
Jesus Christ, the perfect heavenly priest is both the priesthood and the plenitude (that is the fullness) of priesthood itself. The very fact that Christ (who of himself) is the union of God with man, makes it easy to understand that the priesthood of Christ which is the union of God with man is the greatest and supreme gift that has ever been given to man. (Cf. Hebrews 7: 26-28). Not even the angels have this honour.
If and when any man is called and he answers the call from God 10 become and be a priest, priesthood is subsequently conferred on him, he is anointed with the spirit of Christ to be another Christ (alter christus) upon whom the spirit of the Lord is to proclaim the good news to the poor, to free the captives, to give sight to the blind, to give joy to those in sorrow and announce the Lord's year of favour (Lk 4: 18-20). The conferment of this Spirit and its authority to do and undo is an unequivocal confirmation that there can be nothing greater on earth, in this world than the gift of priesthood and a priest, nothing but God and only God Himself
The priest is therefore not merely an imitator of Christ; he is alter christus -another Christ.
The proof that the priest is another Christ, to be and do what Christ has done and does is clearly summarized thus:
Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins..... he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And no one takes the honour upon himself but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. (Heb,5: 1,3-4)
In being what Christ is, the priest is segregatus in Evangelism Del = he is set apart for (proclamation of) the gospel (the good news) of God. (cf Rom: 1: 1). He offers the same sacrifice which Christ offered; he models himself in exactitude in the life and ministry of Christ, he becomes and be a true witness to the totality of the life, works, suffering, crucifixion, death and resurrection of his master. Jesus Christ.
Knowing that priesthood is conferred on the recipient to constitute him a mediator between God and man, acting in persona Christi (in the person of Christ). It is not part of the priest's duties to seek and find self-exaltation, pride, power, dominion, vain glories, infidelity, disobedience, obstinacy and the likes. It is part and parcel of the priestly life and ministry for the priest to seek and find the love of God, obedience, faith, piety, self-effacement and total sacrifice of himself
My dear sons, today you are going to be conferred with the greatest and supreme gift that has ever been given to man, to any created being for that matter Although the priesthood is conferred upon human being, mere earthenware jar, a fragile vessel, ordinary clay pot, as it ware, it's tremendously sublime. It is imaginably amazing, it is supernatural!}1 terrible. For this reason, Mother Trinida. in recounting what she saw and experienced during the celebration of Mass, the Holy Eucharist. she said "if I were a priest, I would have died shortly after the celebration of my first mass", the reason is that what she saw and experienced during Mass was simply referred to as "terrible terribility".
The Catholic priest, should therefore revere most profound that priesthood of Christ which has been conferred upon him. He should not toil with it; he cannot afford to toil with it in any way, for whatever reason. Obviously, the priest should know that if he dares to toil with the priesthood of Christ, he is bound to fail and if he fails, the consequences are grave; he will be rejected both by friends and foes heaven and earth; for failure like poverty, has no friend, no father, no mother, no brother, no sister, no neighbour and "no nothing", at all. Hence, Christ Himself states: it is the one who does the will of my Father in heaven who is my brother and sister and mother (Matt 12:50; cfMk 3: 34).
Therefore, you must be most faithfully committed to celebrating, worshiping and adoring the Most Holy Eucharist as the centre, the summit (or highest point) around which the rest of your priestly duties and obligations point and revolve. As alter christus, you must unreservedly serve like your master who came to serve not to be served. You must be crucified with Christ; you must constitute the true bread, the Body and Blood to be consumed: you must be gift of God to man. to the world and gift from man to God. The God who we cannot see ordinarily must be made visible in the Eucharist, because ''the Eucharist is a glorious ray of heavenly Jerusalem which pierces the clouds of history and lights upon our journey" Ecclesia de Eucharesia number 19. Priesthood, the Eucharist and the Church are intimately united. No priesthood, no Eucharist, no Church, (cf. Archbishop Donald W. Wuer). The priestly spirituality is intrinsically Eucharistic (cf Sacramentum Caristatis - Pope Benedict XXVI, no 80.
And you my beloved faithful of Christ, clergy, consecrated persons and laity, guide and guard the priesthood and priests of Christ in the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church most jealously. Your being proud or ashamed of the priesthood of Christ in the Catholic Church can depend, to a large extent upon whether you produce and provide the bullets and the smooth ground with which and upon which the battle can be fought and won or fought and lost by the priest.
“THINKLESS OF THE WORLD BUT THE WORD OF GOD” SAYS FR. ANETEKHAI
The diocesan director of Social Communications and Editor-in-chief of THE PROMISE Newspaper, Rev. Fr. Leonard Anetekhai, has stressed the need for faithful to take time off their material possessions and pursuit and focus on the word of God inorder to fill their lives with spiritual riches which cannot be stolen or destroyed.
This call was made recently at the Eucharistic celebration to mark the 62nd birthday ceremony of Mrs Alice Azebiokhai at St. Theresa Parish, Fugar.
Giving the homily at the thanksgiving mass concelebrated with Rev. Ferdinand Okafor and a host of Revs., Fr. Anetekhai emphasized on the need for faithful to reflect on the good deeds of the Lord in their lives and faithfully serve Him, as most people have forgotten their reason of living, in pursuit of material wealth.
He further reminded the congregation that it is not their length of days that matter, but their relationship with others, how they have been able to contribute positively and made positive imparts in the lives of all around them and the society at large.
Referring to the Gospel of the day, Fr. Anetekhai enjoined all present to be engulfed in the things of God rather than worldly pleasures, while urging them to be steadfast in their faith and place their safety in the hands of the Lord.
Also, he lamented that many Christians have sold their souls to the devil and lost their salvation in the pursuit of wealth, while some have been carried away by false doctrines and practices owing to their failure to be true ambassadors of Christ.
More, the priest called on parents to teach their children and wards the true way of the Lord and to ensure they always attend masses and Church activities, while tasking the youths to shun all activities that will bring shame to their families, society and the Church.
Highlight of the mass was a joyful thanksgiving procession to the altar by Mrs Alice Azebiokhai and family, friends and well wishers, thanking God for the gift of life.
During the reception at her residence, Sir A.B.C. Nasamu led the opening prayers and also chaired the occasion in which he thanked God for the gift of life on Mrs Azebiokhai and emphasized that it is worth celebrating the goodness of the Lord.
Climax of the occasion was the cutting of the birthday cake by Mrs Azebiokhai with her children.
The diocesan director of Social Communications and Editor-in-chief of THE PROMISE Newspaper, Rev. Fr. Leonard Anetekhai, has stressed the need for faithful to take time off their material possessions and pursuit and focus on the word of God inorder to fill their lives with spiritual riches which cannot be stolen or destroyed.
This call was made recently at the Eucharistic celebration to mark the 62nd birthday ceremony of Mrs Alice Azebiokhai at St. Theresa Parish, Fugar.
Giving the homily at the thanksgiving mass concelebrated with Rev. Ferdinand Okafor and a host of Revs., Fr. Anetekhai emphasized on the need for faithful to reflect on the good deeds of the Lord in their lives and faithfully serve Him, as most people have forgotten their reason of living, in pursuit of material wealth.
He further reminded the congregation that it is not their length of days that matter, but their relationship with others, how they have been able to contribute positively and made positive imparts in the lives of all around them and the society at large.
Referring to the Gospel of the day, Fr. Anetekhai enjoined all present to be engulfed in the things of God rather than worldly pleasures, while urging them to be steadfast in their faith and place their safety in the hands of the Lord.
Also, he lamented that many Christians have sold their souls to the devil and lost their salvation in the pursuit of wealth, while some have been carried away by false doctrines and practices owing to their failure to be true ambassadors of Christ.
More, the priest called on parents to teach their children and wards the true way of the Lord and to ensure they always attend masses and Church activities, while tasking the youths to shun all activities that will bring shame to their families, society and the Church.
Highlight of the mass was a joyful thanksgiving procession to the altar by Mrs Alice Azebiokhai and family, friends and well wishers, thanking God for the gift of life.
During the reception at her residence, Sir A.B.C. Nasamu led the opening prayers and also chaired the occasion in which he thanked God for the gift of life on Mrs Azebiokhai and emphasized that it is worth celebrating the goodness of the Lord.
Climax of the occasion was the cutting of the birthday cake by Mrs Azebiokhai with her children.
BISHOP DUNIA ORDAINS EIGHT PRIESTS
The Catholic community of Auchi Diocese was agog with joy and praises to God on Saturday, August 28th 2010, as the Bishop of the diocese Most Rev. Dr. Gabriel Ghieakhomo Dunia, ordained Eight (8) priests for the diocese at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Auchi. The widely publicized ceremony was well attended by priests from within and outside the diocese, religious, dignitaries as well as friends and relatives of the ordained, as it is the highest number to be ordained so far in the diocese.
At the commencement of the ceremony, the candidates Revs. Agabi Isaac, Elogie Innocent, Imoagene Polycarp, Ibhawa Victor, Momoh Francis, Ikhianosimhe Francis, Okafor Ferdinand and Oshiokede Nicolas were called by the diocesan vocations director Rev. Fr. Anslem Jimoh, while the Judicial Vicar Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Benedict Etafor, presented them to the Bishop.
Delivering the homily titled “The greatest sacrifice”, Bishop G.G. Dunia reiterated that the greatest sacrifice the Church has ever had, is the divine office of the priest, which he noted is very sacred, demanding and should be revered.
The chief shepherd called on the Catholic faithful of the diocese and beyond to always see the priesthood as a sacred entity, which should be accorded love, respect and kindness, while stressing that the ordinals have made the greatest sacrifice by offering themselves for the pure love of the Church and humanity as a whole. More, he pointed out that Christ has declared that it is only those who do the will of the father that are His brothers and sisters and charged them to offer themselves to all without special concessions for brothers, sisters or relatives, while also urging them to be willing vessels for God, who should serve and not to be served as they are gifts of God to man.
Continuing, the prelate stressed that the priesthood, the Eucharist and the Church are unanimously one, as they are there to complement one another, noting that without the priest, there will be no Eucharistic celebration and without the Eucharist, there will be no special or divine office for the priest and that without the Church the two cannot stand.
Further, the Bishop charged all Catholic faithful to support their priests, thank God for their lives, and appreciate the gift of God through them.
While addressing the candidates for ordination, Bishop Dunia charged them to be shepherd of the flock of Christ entrusted to them, while also urging them to love and care for the Christian community just as Christ loves and cares for Church, so as to present a holy and blemish free faithful before the Lord.
Shortly after the homily and examination of the candidates by the Bishop, the ordinals knelt before him to make the promise of obedience to him and his successors. Thereafter, they prostrated before God for the invocation of the saints in prayer, which was followed by the laying on of hands by the Bishop and priests present.
Highpoint of the ordination ceremony was the prayer of consecration by virtue of which they were ordained priests consequently, they were vested with chasubles, anointed for the ministry and presented with bread and wine for Eucharistic celebration. The newly ordained priest gave a kiss of peace to the Bishop, other priests and one another.
There was also a joyful thanksgiving procession led by the newly ordained priests accompanied by family members, friends and well wishers from within and outside the diocese.
After the post communion prayers, the diocesan vocations director Rev. Fr. Anslem Jimoh, welcomed the new priests and thanked all for their contributions to the success of the ceremony, while calling on all Catholic faithful present to support seminarians in cash and in kind especially the feeding and training of those in the Minor Seminary at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Ivianokpodi, stressing on the need for groups and individuals to take it up as a challenge to sponsor them, as the harvest is rich but the labourers are few to man the rich harvest.
During the vote of thanks, Rev. Fr. (Prof) John Onimhawo thanked all who came for the event and gave a special commendation to the Bishop, pointed out that the diocese now has a total of sixty-three (63) priests of which Bishop G.G. Dunia has ordained a total thirty-two (32) Priests.
He further commended the newly ordained priest for sacrificing their lives for the divine office of the priesthood and also the Rectors of St. Paul's Major Seminary Ibadan and All Saints Major Seminary Ekpoma, Rev. Frs. Michael Sasa and Oredipe respectively for their wonderful works.
He also thanked the choir, the Church warden, the mass-servers (Altar knights) and everyone who had in one way or the other contributed to the success of the occasion.
The Bishop in his closing remarks sent warm greetings to all Moslems during this period of their fasting.
In attendance were priests from various dioceses and Archdioceses across the country Lady Chevalier Alimikhena among other prominent dignitaries.
The Catholic community of Auchi Diocese was agog with joy and praises to God on Saturday, August 28th 2010, as the Bishop of the diocese Most Rev. Dr. Gabriel Ghieakhomo Dunia, ordained Eight (8) priests for the diocese at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Auchi. The widely publicized ceremony was well attended by priests from within and outside the diocese, religious, dignitaries as well as friends and relatives of the ordained, as it is the highest number to be ordained so far in the diocese.
At the commencement of the ceremony, the candidates Revs. Agabi Isaac, Elogie Innocent, Imoagene Polycarp, Ibhawa Victor, Momoh Francis, Ikhianosimhe Francis, Okafor Ferdinand and Oshiokede Nicolas were called by the diocesan vocations director Rev. Fr. Anslem Jimoh, while the Judicial Vicar Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Benedict Etafor, presented them to the Bishop.
Delivering the homily titled “The greatest sacrifice”, Bishop G.G. Dunia reiterated that the greatest sacrifice the Church has ever had, is the divine office of the priest, which he noted is very sacred, demanding and should be revered.
The chief shepherd called on the Catholic faithful of the diocese and beyond to always see the priesthood as a sacred entity, which should be accorded love, respect and kindness, while stressing that the ordinals have made the greatest sacrifice by offering themselves for the pure love of the Church and humanity as a whole. More, he pointed out that Christ has declared that it is only those who do the will of the father that are His brothers and sisters and charged them to offer themselves to all without special concessions for brothers, sisters or relatives, while also urging them to be willing vessels for God, who should serve and not to be served as they are gifts of God to man.
Continuing, the prelate stressed that the priesthood, the Eucharist and the Church are unanimously one, as they are there to complement one another, noting that without the priest, there will be no Eucharistic celebration and without the Eucharist, there will be no special or divine office for the priest and that without the Church the two cannot stand.
Further, the Bishop charged all Catholic faithful to support their priests, thank God for their lives, and appreciate the gift of God through them.
While addressing the candidates for ordination, Bishop Dunia charged them to be shepherd of the flock of Christ entrusted to them, while also urging them to love and care for the Christian community just as Christ loves and cares for Church, so as to present a holy and blemish free faithful before the Lord.
Shortly after the homily and examination of the candidates by the Bishop, the ordinals knelt before him to make the promise of obedience to him and his successors. Thereafter, they prostrated before God for the invocation of the saints in prayer, which was followed by the laying on of hands by the Bishop and priests present.
Highpoint of the ordination ceremony was the prayer of consecration by virtue of which they were ordained priests consequently, they were vested with chasubles, anointed for the ministry and presented with bread and wine for Eucharistic celebration. The newly ordained priest gave a kiss of peace to the Bishop, other priests and one another.
There was also a joyful thanksgiving procession led by the newly ordained priests accompanied by family members, friends and well wishers from within and outside the diocese.
After the post communion prayers, the diocesan vocations director Rev. Fr. Anslem Jimoh, welcomed the new priests and thanked all for their contributions to the success of the ceremony, while calling on all Catholic faithful present to support seminarians in cash and in kind especially the feeding and training of those in the Minor Seminary at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Ivianokpodi, stressing on the need for groups and individuals to take it up as a challenge to sponsor them, as the harvest is rich but the labourers are few to man the rich harvest.
During the vote of thanks, Rev. Fr. (Prof) John Onimhawo thanked all who came for the event and gave a special commendation to the Bishop, pointed out that the diocese now has a total of sixty-three (63) priests of which Bishop G.G. Dunia has ordained a total thirty-two (32) Priests.
He further commended the newly ordained priest for sacrificing their lives for the divine office of the priesthood and also the Rectors of St. Paul's Major Seminary Ibadan and All Saints Major Seminary Ekpoma, Rev. Frs. Michael Sasa and Oredipe respectively for their wonderful works.
He also thanked the choir, the Church warden, the mass-servers (Altar knights) and everyone who had in one way or the other contributed to the success of the occasion.
The Bishop in his closing remarks sent warm greetings to all Moslems during this period of their fasting.
In attendance were priests from various dioceses and Archdioceses across the country Lady Chevalier Alimikhena among other prominent dignitaries.
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