Since the publication of the new book-interview of Pope Benedict XVI, “Light of the World: The Pope, The Church and the signs of The Times” by German Journalist Peter Seewald on November 22, 2010, the morality of condoms has become a fresher issue. This is so because; Journalists and commentators have hijacked the words of the Pope to mean a dramatic shift of the Church's traditional teaching on the use of condoms to mean “an approval” of the use of condoms. While this is not precisely the case, it has given us the opportunity to address on the morality of condoms and reaffirm the Church's teaching on this. The question usually would begin from the point: What is the morality of Condoms or better contraceptives? What is the Church's teaching on the use of contraceptive and the reduction of the deadly HIV/AIDS pandemic? What did the Pope actually say lately regarding condoms?
The issue of the morality of condoms is not an isolated issue. It is discussed within the whole-frame work of the topic, contraceptives. A contraceptive is a method, device or pharmaceutical drug that prevents pregnancy. People have been using different forms of contraceptives for centuries. There are device contraceptive like the condom for men and the Intra Uterine Device (IUD) for women. There are also spermicides in the form of a jelly, tablet, suppository or foam; a diaphragm, a cervix cap which must be used with the spermicide, etc. Prescription drugs include birth control pills; injections that last for various amounts of time; a vaginal ring; a patch that is worn on the body, etc. Sterilization for men and women can be considered a contraceptive as well.
The use of contraceptive goes beyond the prevention of pregnancy. This is so because; it invites us to the question of sex,human dignity and moral principles. Again, contraceptives are no longer merely objects of birth control, wherein we talk of a marriage situation, but it now represents a misreading of the purpose of marriage and sexuality at large. Sex it must be re-emphasized is an exclusive preserve for a man and a woman who have given themselves in a lawfully and validly contracted marriage. Sex is created by God for the strengthening of intimacy in marriage and the procreation of children. Therefore, outside of marriage, sex becomes improper and both a grave sin. Within this context, sex outside of marriage thus, becomes an instrument by which an individual vainly gratifies the flesh. Nevertheless, in conformity with the Christian vision of marriage, the direct interruption of the generative process already begun, and, above all, directly willed and procured abortion are absolutely wrong. (HV 14)
Every sexual experience is spiritual. It fulfills the dual function of being unitive and procreative. Thus every conjugal act is meant to be open; to be open to procreation and unity of the love between the spouses. Nature has so placed a rhythm such that, the periods that are procreative are limited, barely 96 hours of the 28 days in the cycle of a woman are fecund or fertile. Therefore, the periods which are fertile are meant to control birth especially when it becomes irresponsible at a particular point to procreate. The fertile days as it were, then, allows the couple generally speaking, a time to renew their desire and to save it from the dullness of sheer habit, while the infertile days gives the opportunity to couples regulating birth an avenue to spiral their love in sexual communion.
Contraception it must be established is not birth control. There are a number of ways to control birth some are morally good and others morally evil. The infertile days are the natural means of the control of birth; hence a study of this is what we call “Natural Family planning”. But there are other morally evil and wicked ways of birth control like abortion, the practice ofwithdrawal method in coitus (sexual intercourse) otherwise called Onanism. Contraception usually involves a choice. First, it is the choice to engage in sexual intercourse and secondly, the choice to circumvent the powers of procreation related to the generation of life. This first is upon the realization that, it is irresponsible to have sex now but I want to be selfish. So, it is the intention in the use of contraceptive that brings out the morality in it. This is precisely the case of condoms. This is why it is called contra-conception or anti-procreation. With this, therefore, condoms are negatively morally grounded. They are built on a wrong intent; one to destroy the procreative faculties; a case of why accepting coitus and at the same time denying it of full realization. It is therefore a morally irresponsible choice.
Apart from the evaluation of the choice, it is one that gives the impression that sex can go on irresponsible. It reduces sexuality to physicality and love to unbridled instinct. Contraceptive-sex debases human dignity because it reduces the individual as a sexual object or a sexual cipher. Contraceptive-sex is not built on love, but one that helps the other person to satisfy selfish ends. Again, it makes sex a game; a game of sexual adventurism and irresponsible parenthood when used within marriage. Contraceptive-sex recognizes that love-making is meant to be open but rather want to close it and render the woman to be infertile. Contraceptive-sex opens the road to marital infidelity and the collapse of morals because of the escapist attitude and means of contracepting. Here, the use of condoms as contraceptive is explainably morally evil.
Be that as it may, condom as an object in itself has a morally neutral status. It is the use that brings in the morality. If one takes a condom and puts his necklace inside, nobody has a problem with that, in which case it would be improper to call it a contraceptive but better a safe. It could be use as water balloons and does not either pose a moral threat. But once it involves a different choice with a negative intent, then the problem starts. But there is a certain sense when condom usage becomes a first step towards moralization and an action in conscience even though when it is not ultimately the solution to the problem. And it is the case of HIV/AIDS.
More practically put, in the case of discordant couples; a situation when one of the couples is HIV infected, when one of the couples uses the condom on infertile days, the choice is not to contracept but to prevent from infecting his partner with the disease while paying the marital debt. The usage of the contraceptive at such a situation is not as contraceptive but as a contra-HIV. In this situation, there is first and foremost an act of charity and also a realization that not everything goes. This step was aimed at protecting life. However, it must be noted that this is not the best solution to this problem. It was against a similar background that the Holy Father in the recent book-interview spoke which has been hijacked to mean an approval. I turn briefly to an evaluation of the words of the Holy Father.
The Pope has emphasized in the past that, we cannot solve the problem [of AIDS] by distributing condoms…” and that “the sheer fixation on the condom implies a banalization of sexuality….” The Pope says: “There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants. But it is not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection. That can really lie only in a humanization of sexuality”. Condoms refer to a wrong means to achieving a good end. This is so because the problem of Aids is beyond condoms but one first and foremost of the misuse of sex for the most, and this pandemic has had a wildfire spread by the misuse of sex by the unmarried. Common report puts the highest prevalence and vulnerability level to be between 18-25 years. To think of condoms as the moral solution would be promoting sexual promiscuity indirectly without the intent to do so. Nonetheless, in the use of condoms by either a male prostitute or a discordant couple it becomes in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more humane way, of living sexuality; a case of contra-HIV rather than contraceptive.
The point of emphasis is in the intention for usage. Once the intention is morally evil, then the action becomes morally evil. However, condoms do not lie the solution to the whole problem of HIV/AIDS. This understanding reflected by the Pope did not in any way give an approval for the use of Condoms as an instrument for sex, neither, did it change the traditional teaching of the Church on contraceptives or condoms. It must be noted that when the Church wants to bring out an official teaching or make a stand on something, it comes out with an official pronouncement in an Encyclical. This was not the case for the recent misrepresentation of the Pope. In any case, he gave his personal evaluation on the issue of the use of Condoms and in which he says some cases could be tending towards morality and he was never speaking ex cathedra (speaking in the authority of the Pope).
In sum, Condoms represent a wrong way of approaching our sexuality. The sure way of addressing the issue of HIV/AIDS is the gospel of ABSTINENCE for the unmarried and BE FAITHFUL if married. Condoms too, do not present any moral justification for the control of Birth as such a choice involves a moral evil.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
ONE MAN, SEVEN VOTES SYNDROME - Rev. Fr. Leonard O. Anetekhai
One Man Seven Votes, It sounds funny, but like a syndrome if not well cared for, may be the end result as we prepare for our general elections with the daily increase in crimes, importation of arms, missing records of electoral materials and societal unrest. Few Nigerians today go to sleep with both eyes closed, but for those who have their possession on their palms, two eyes closed is very expensive.
Yes so much has been done to put a credible INEC in place to prepare for a general election come 2011. This all important journey began with the request of the chairman of the INEC, Professor Attaihiru Jega, for a change in the election date, a submission which was granted. The INEC chairman had, in September, called for a change in the election time of the 2011 general election from January to April to enable him to do a good job for Nigerians. He made the request while fielding questions from the 63 political party leaders in Abuja, saying that the reality on ground was that the commission had missed a number of its timelines that were essential to the registration of voters as well as the recruitment and training of ad-hoc staff for the elections.
The next line of duty was to ask for the purchase of direct data capture machines (DDCM) to be used for the registration of voters. The machines valued at over N33.827billion are central to the actualization of the voter registration as well as the proper election come April. We pray it comes true.
It is very interesting to note that, the Federal government has, from all indications, been responsive to the requests of INEC, perhaps to free itself from any allegations of being counterproductive. This could be seen through the release of necessary funds to the electoral body as at when due. Both the Presidency and the National Assembly have had reasons to adjust in order to support the electoral body and make sure that nothing endangers a free election and handover dates. For Jega the non-availability of the 2010 Electoral Act would hamper the schedule of the elections and the only hurdle in the way of the conduct of credible poll is the controversy surrounding the amendment of the 1999 constitution as well as the failure of President Goodluck Jonathan to promptly sign into law the Electoral Act.
Again, Jaga asked the Federal Government to make available N87.7 billion within a specified period, which the National Assembly had to rush through despite perceived inconsistencies in the estimates. President Jonathan had also promptly given his assent to the 2010 Electoral Act in spite of his reservations about some provisions in the bill, which has today become questionable. Recently, President Jonathan released another sum of 1.95 billion naira for the purchase of new ballot boxes. All these for elections; if I may ask, where are the machines used by Maurice Iwu? I suppose in a warehouse waiting to be shipped back outside the country, recycled and sent back to us by another INEC chairman. In every election we spend so much just to make some parasite rich at the expense of basic amenities lacking in some communities. Enough of all these foolish and deceptive attitudes.
A little leap into Ivory coast last general election; I am very sure that all the materials for elections demanded by her electoral body were meant, but it was very unfortunate that those who served as instrument to release these funds had the intention to distort the elections if they do not return to power. The rivalry between Alassane Ouatara and Gbagbo in their presidential elections is simply not that of machines, but of common sense that has been clouded with greed and selfishness. What a pity.
I sympathize with the new INEC leadership because there exist within INEC some and throughout Nigeria persons who have irreversibly and shamelessly sworn to perpetuate evil come 2011. This is a monstrous challenge to President Jonathan, Prof. Jega and well-meaning Nigerians who earnestly desire a breath of fresh electoral relief. It is conceivably the greatest amongst all the hurdles to free and credible elections in the country. The average Nigerian politician openly and noisily conceives and campaign for free and fair elections while secretly advocating and instigating electoral malpractices and fraud.
I am convinced that, nobody who has spent 5 million in purchasing a gubernatorial ticket will want to see it slip his or her face; they will go out to connive with any authority, just to remain or gain power into political position.
To avoid the One Man Seven Votes syndrome, Nigerians, especially those in power will have to get rid of all the following seven vices, each standing for one negative vote.
Bribery: A bribe like we know is a payment given personally to a government official in exchange of his use of official powers. Bribery requires two participants: one to give the bribe, and one to take it. Either may initiate the corrupt offering; for example, a customs official may demand bribes to allowed (or disallowed) goods, or a smuggler might offer bribes to gain passage. Within us today this has extended to every aspect of our public life, making it extremely difficult for individuals to stay in public offices without resorting to bribes. I am afraid because some individuals may demand for bribe in order to bypass laws and regulations, just to keep looters in power.
Governmental corruption of judiciary: Governmental corruption of judiciary includes governmental spending on the courts, which is completely financially controlled by the executive in many countries and ours is not an exception. This undermines the principle of checks and balances and creates a critical financial dependence on the judiciary. It covers concealed governmental spending on the judiciary in the form of privileges cars, houses, expenses. Such a system is completely outside the realm of transparency and creates a standard for those in the judiciary to work in favour for those who grease their palm, for it is said; “he who plays the pipe dictates the tune”. This is not without exceptions.
Nepotism and cronyism: Favouring relatives (nepotism) or personal friends (cronyism) of an official is a form of illegitimate private gain. This may be combined with bribery. It is said that unemployment is striving hard because of the singular act of nepotism (My brother or my sister will get the job). For cronyism it can be termed an "old boy network", in which appointees to official positions are selected only from a closed and exclusive social network instead of appointing the most competent candidate.
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favoured candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates, or both. Also called voter fraud, the mechanisms involved include illegal voter registration, intimidation at polls, and improper vote counting. This is what every Nigerian should avoid to avert One Man Seven Votes syndrome.
Kickbacks: A daily routine in most offices. The only way government officials share off misappropriated funds allocated towards the development of certain areas or communities. Today, we see leaders in charge of contracts allocating them to companies that are not the best bidder, or allocate more than they deserve. In this case, the companies involved benefits greatly, and in exchange for betraying the public, the official receives a kickback payment, which is a portion of the sum the company received. This sum itself may be all or a portion of the difference between the actual (inflated) payment to the company and the (lower) market-based price that would have been paid had the bidding been competitive. Kickbacks are not limited to government officials; any situations in which people are entrusted to spend funds that do not belong to them are prone to this kind of vice.
Unholy alliance: A forum for politician to form alliance among themselves, especially if one has a hidden agenda. Like patronage, unholy alliances are not necessarily illegal, but unlike patronage, by its deceptive nature and often great financial resources, an unholy alliance can be much more dangerous to the public interest. Politicians who involve in this vice end up thinking and talking much of themselves rather than the general public.
Organized crime: It is devilish to see us maltreating ourselves with the scourge of Kiddnapping and bank robbery. These are basically the features of a nation when election is drawing close. Banks are not safe anymore, even those who go to the bank as citizen are not comfortable getting their money because of politician who are looking for money to campaign and buy electorate. Again, when youth who are ambitious tend to vile for positions like councilors and council worker, and have no means of funding themselves, crime is the next option. We have to change and cut our coat according to our cloth.
To advert what seems like a syndrome, all hands must be on deck to work for the success of Prof. Jega's effort to conduct a free and fair election, the private sector and civil society must assist Government in fighting all scourge that can promote one man seven vote syndrome. Only then will Nigerian be able to achieve a credible election and write her name in gold, among developing nations.
Yes so much has been done to put a credible INEC in place to prepare for a general election come 2011. This all important journey began with the request of the chairman of the INEC, Professor Attaihiru Jega, for a change in the election date, a submission which was granted. The INEC chairman had, in September, called for a change in the election time of the 2011 general election from January to April to enable him to do a good job for Nigerians. He made the request while fielding questions from the 63 political party leaders in Abuja, saying that the reality on ground was that the commission had missed a number of its timelines that were essential to the registration of voters as well as the recruitment and training of ad-hoc staff for the elections.
The next line of duty was to ask for the purchase of direct data capture machines (DDCM) to be used for the registration of voters. The machines valued at over N33.827billion are central to the actualization of the voter registration as well as the proper election come April. We pray it comes true.
It is very interesting to note that, the Federal government has, from all indications, been responsive to the requests of INEC, perhaps to free itself from any allegations of being counterproductive. This could be seen through the release of necessary funds to the electoral body as at when due. Both the Presidency and the National Assembly have had reasons to adjust in order to support the electoral body and make sure that nothing endangers a free election and handover dates. For Jega the non-availability of the 2010 Electoral Act would hamper the schedule of the elections and the only hurdle in the way of the conduct of credible poll is the controversy surrounding the amendment of the 1999 constitution as well as the failure of President Goodluck Jonathan to promptly sign into law the Electoral Act.
Again, Jaga asked the Federal Government to make available N87.7 billion within a specified period, which the National Assembly had to rush through despite perceived inconsistencies in the estimates. President Jonathan had also promptly given his assent to the 2010 Electoral Act in spite of his reservations about some provisions in the bill, which has today become questionable. Recently, President Jonathan released another sum of 1.95 billion naira for the purchase of new ballot boxes. All these for elections; if I may ask, where are the machines used by Maurice Iwu? I suppose in a warehouse waiting to be shipped back outside the country, recycled and sent back to us by another INEC chairman. In every election we spend so much just to make some parasite rich at the expense of basic amenities lacking in some communities. Enough of all these foolish and deceptive attitudes.
A little leap into Ivory coast last general election; I am very sure that all the materials for elections demanded by her electoral body were meant, but it was very unfortunate that those who served as instrument to release these funds had the intention to distort the elections if they do not return to power. The rivalry between Alassane Ouatara and Gbagbo in their presidential elections is simply not that of machines, but of common sense that has been clouded with greed and selfishness. What a pity.
I sympathize with the new INEC leadership because there exist within INEC some and throughout Nigeria persons who have irreversibly and shamelessly sworn to perpetuate evil come 2011. This is a monstrous challenge to President Jonathan, Prof. Jega and well-meaning Nigerians who earnestly desire a breath of fresh electoral relief. It is conceivably the greatest amongst all the hurdles to free and credible elections in the country. The average Nigerian politician openly and noisily conceives and campaign for free and fair elections while secretly advocating and instigating electoral malpractices and fraud.
I am convinced that, nobody who has spent 5 million in purchasing a gubernatorial ticket will want to see it slip his or her face; they will go out to connive with any authority, just to remain or gain power into political position.
To avoid the One Man Seven Votes syndrome, Nigerians, especially those in power will have to get rid of all the following seven vices, each standing for one negative vote.
Bribery: A bribe like we know is a payment given personally to a government official in exchange of his use of official powers. Bribery requires two participants: one to give the bribe, and one to take it. Either may initiate the corrupt offering; for example, a customs official may demand bribes to allowed (or disallowed) goods, or a smuggler might offer bribes to gain passage. Within us today this has extended to every aspect of our public life, making it extremely difficult for individuals to stay in public offices without resorting to bribes. I am afraid because some individuals may demand for bribe in order to bypass laws and regulations, just to keep looters in power.
Governmental corruption of judiciary: Governmental corruption of judiciary includes governmental spending on the courts, which is completely financially controlled by the executive in many countries and ours is not an exception. This undermines the principle of checks and balances and creates a critical financial dependence on the judiciary. It covers concealed governmental spending on the judiciary in the form of privileges cars, houses, expenses. Such a system is completely outside the realm of transparency and creates a standard for those in the judiciary to work in favour for those who grease their palm, for it is said; “he who plays the pipe dictates the tune”. This is not without exceptions.
Nepotism and cronyism: Favouring relatives (nepotism) or personal friends (cronyism) of an official is a form of illegitimate private gain. This may be combined with bribery. It is said that unemployment is striving hard because of the singular act of nepotism (My brother or my sister will get the job). For cronyism it can be termed an "old boy network", in which appointees to official positions are selected only from a closed and exclusive social network instead of appointing the most competent candidate.
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favoured candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates, or both. Also called voter fraud, the mechanisms involved include illegal voter registration, intimidation at polls, and improper vote counting. This is what every Nigerian should avoid to avert One Man Seven Votes syndrome.
Kickbacks: A daily routine in most offices. The only way government officials share off misappropriated funds allocated towards the development of certain areas or communities. Today, we see leaders in charge of contracts allocating them to companies that are not the best bidder, or allocate more than they deserve. In this case, the companies involved benefits greatly, and in exchange for betraying the public, the official receives a kickback payment, which is a portion of the sum the company received. This sum itself may be all or a portion of the difference between the actual (inflated) payment to the company and the (lower) market-based price that would have been paid had the bidding been competitive. Kickbacks are not limited to government officials; any situations in which people are entrusted to spend funds that do not belong to them are prone to this kind of vice.
Unholy alliance: A forum for politician to form alliance among themselves, especially if one has a hidden agenda. Like patronage, unholy alliances are not necessarily illegal, but unlike patronage, by its deceptive nature and often great financial resources, an unholy alliance can be much more dangerous to the public interest. Politicians who involve in this vice end up thinking and talking much of themselves rather than the general public.
Organized crime: It is devilish to see us maltreating ourselves with the scourge of Kiddnapping and bank robbery. These are basically the features of a nation when election is drawing close. Banks are not safe anymore, even those who go to the bank as citizen are not comfortable getting their money because of politician who are looking for money to campaign and buy electorate. Again, when youth who are ambitious tend to vile for positions like councilors and council worker, and have no means of funding themselves, crime is the next option. We have to change and cut our coat according to our cloth.
To advert what seems like a syndrome, all hands must be on deck to work for the success of Prof. Jega's effort to conduct a free and fair election, the private sector and civil society must assist Government in fighting all scourge that can promote one man seven vote syndrome. Only then will Nigerian be able to achieve a credible election and write her name in gold, among developing nations.
HOW DO WE OVERCOME THE GRADUAL EROSION OF THE SENSE OF THE SACRED IN OUR SECULAR AGE? - Rev. Fr. Stan-William Ede
Our experience of contemporary society reveals that people are no longer moved to socio-moral comportment based on their fear of God or belief in the beatific rewards he gives. Many who go to Church do so only because of their quest for material well-being, and even then, many people in the Church are not fully conscious of the Divine presence, hence they don't genuflect before the Blessed Sacrament, nor bow when passing in front of the crucifix; some gist away inside the Church while the Eucharistic celebration is going on, some others busy themselves with answering their calls or exchanging text messages, some chew bubble gum all through the period, while many others are there only to dance to the choruses or get entertained by the 'showy' sermon of the preacher.
This phenomenon mirrors the depth of spiritual insensibilities which are prevalent in today's world in contradistinction with the spiritual mentality of past times where the Divine Essence was everywhere and at all times perceived. The magnitude of awe and reverence with which people approached Divine realities (things of God) in times past has continued to wane in our own day, prompting deeper reflections on the mystery of life and the destiny of man.
A vehement wind has blown and has supplanted the high-sounding spiritual and human values of the past with the unfortunate triplets of Secularism, Consumerism and Commercialism, thereby instigating an acute shift of attention from the spiritual to the secular, from the sacred to the profane, from religious adherence to scientifico-technological enthusiasm, from rhapsodic meditations to superficial “busy-cissitudes”, and from personal immanence to gross “sociotainment” (the quality of being engaged with social and entertainment activities, e.g. dance, sports, music, and other sensual exercises.
The tremendous progressive “super-run” of the society today in its overall evolution from the past religio-cultural non-materialistic superstructure of the world to the present scientifico-technological and socio-developmental ascent is a welcome development brought about by the indomitable 'wind' of change. But it does leave a large chunk of sour salt for the human society to contend with. This portent of distastefulness is made concrete in the gradual erosion of the sense of the sacred, and by extension, the diffusion of those eternal and human values which accord invaluable measures of security to our existence.
Is this force which is symptomatic of the replacement of immanent values with a materialistic consciousness that occurs with the passage of time supposed to be a malevolent wind or a benevolent spirit? In other words, is this wind of change that is bringing about rapid global development and at the same time the gradual erosion of the sense of the sacred, for bad or for good?
It is pertinent to note, and forcefully I state and resound it, that, 'although times and tides change, the infant changes into a full-grown man, the monolithic culture of primitive society to the technological flight of the contemporary scientific society, everything changes; it may be change from order to order, from form to form, from process to process, maybe in kinds and styles, in varying structures and degrees, GOD DOES NOT CHANGE'. He is Changeless, Immutable, Omnipotent and Eternal. He is the Lord of History and the Controller of time, who gave everything its being and quality. He directs the movement of the cosmos and the course of change yet He remains unchanging.
It is therefore, an absolute misplacement of ideals and a tragic mistake to sideline God and His divinely inspired activities while inordinately embracing the gifts of nature and human progress which God himself has given.
The mistaken understanding that the progress of the contemporary scientific culture is solely the result of modern man's intelligence and ingenuity constitutes the bedrock for the erosion of the sense of the sacred. The effect of this is also seen in the loss of respect and value for human life, and the violation of human rights and dignity. This is a horrific situation, in fact, a 'time-bomb' that could lead to an ultimate human tragedy if not checked appropriately and soon enough. The sooner modern man realizes that God is the author, sustainer and summit of his being and progress, and live according to religio-ethical parameters established in the natural order, the better for the whole human race.
Let us all listen and hear the profound call, beckoning us all to make a U-turn from the directionless drift on the sea of life's abundance back to the purposeful guidance and will of the Almighty God, who will ensure that the superabundant gifts he has given are sustained in measureless plenitudes. It is all-too-important that we re-embrace the sense of the sacred. By “we”, I mean every human being, whether male or female, rich or poor, European or African, Asian or American, scientist or traditionalist everyone.
To recapture in all wholeness, and to develop healthily, a true and noble sense of the sacred, implies absolute consciousness of God, and unreserved adherence to His Divine Will, enriched with profound respect and honour for anything that has to do with God and Divine Mysteries.
In Biblical times, the Israelites trembled with fear and bowed down their heads in worship at the appearance of the Ark of the covenant which symbolized God's presence (cf. 25:22; Num 10: 33-36; 1Sam 4:4-11); they approached God's temple with awe and reverence (cf. 2Sam 6:1-23; 2Chr. 5:1-14), and observed the commandments of God accordingly. From their historical experiences, we discover that in the moments of adherence and worship, the people flourished in every way. But at those unfortunate times when their sense of fidelity departed them, they experienced disasters and faced fatal penalties. “The past”, they say, “exists and must be recalled to help better the present and improve the future”. Can modern society not learn from the experiences of these people?
The early Christian era and Middle Ages were a Divinocentric (God-centred) world where human life and values were upheld and made to flourish. There was a clear-cut demarcation between the sacred and the profane, with the former enjoying esteemed priority in the life-structure of the people. Within this ambience, life, peace and progress flourish in superabundance.
For the contemporary man of the critico-intellectual civilization, here is an urgent message: God is as present and active in world development and human progress, as he was in the beginning when he created the world, through the passage of time in the ancient past, and in the medieval age; so he rightly is in all traditions and cultures of the world, and so he will continue to be, because he remains changeless while he directs the course of change. Therefore, all mankind must adhere to him and worship him.
Let us be filled with reverence for the house of the Lord with a proper sense of decorum and order when we are in the Church, as well as in our approach to Liturgy. The Psalmist per-empted us in declaring: “I rejoiced when I heard them say, let us go to God's house … for love of the house of the Lord, we shall be filled with blessings” (Ps 122:1, 9). The Church is a sacred place, and within the Catholic setting, is the “Holy of holies” the Most Blessed Sacrament where the Most High God dwells, inviting us all day and night to come to him, to acknowledge his special gifts and to be good brothers and sisters of one another. Our attitude and carriage inside the Church matter a lot. We are supposed to genuflect before the Blessed Sacrament and reverence other Sacramentals within the Church with appropriate gestures, like making a profound bow before the Crucifix. The liturgical rites and prayers within the Christian assembly are also sacred entities which must be embraced with a responsible sense of devotion and submissiveness to the Divine Will.
When we give God the chance to rule over our lives and control our everyday activities, all other fundamental human values will be restored and channelled through the carriageway of resourcefulness. By this, we would actually come to realize the evil of homo homini lupus (man's inhumanity to man), and with purified consciences, we are to fully discover the import of the “Golden Rule” “Do to others as you would want done to you” (Sir. 4:15; Matt 7:12). This realization and the consequent affirmative action by all and sundry can prop up the reversal of the present degeneration into an embrace of worthy ideals the fear of God, the upholdance of human rights and the promotion of life to the fullest.
In the midst of change and progress, mankind can, and ought to, remain focused with an appropriate sense of the sacred. And while trying to yield up to this commitment, we are also urged to guard against the two extremes of Nihilism and Religious Fanaticism also called Fundamentalism. In his 2006 World Day of Peace message to the world, Pope Benedict XVI hinted so much on this task assuring us that it is a veritable road through which the world can pull out of its present social ills. Nihilism gives rise to the evil triplets of secularism, consumerism and commercialism, all of which serve the egotistic desires of some privileged few in the society presided over by the neglect of God, the disintegration of the dignity of personhood and the abuse of human rights, both in disguised and undisguised forms. Religious fanaticism or fundamentalism is the other extreme of misguidedly over-feeling God and over-reacting beyond the limit of reason all in the name of God. The effect of this is a deeper plunge into the murky waters of mischief and fatality. Alongside this effort, we must guard against being blown or tossed about by the wind of uncertainties and despair.
By this therefore, and as a matter of urgency, we are summoned to authentic faith, firm hope, and true love, all established on rocky foundations. “By faith, we understand that the universe was ordered by the Word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible” (cf. Heb 13: 3). By faith also, our understanding would help us to use all of God's provisions at his service and for the good of humankind. By firm hope, we can trust in God's furtherance of his blessings over us, and we can draw comfort, peace and joy. Let us reflect, then, with Fyodor Dostoyevsky and take it as a point of duty every moment of our lives that we must: “Love all God's creation, both the whole and every grain of sand; love every leaf, every ray of light; love the animals, love the plants, love each separate thing; if you love each thing you will perceive the mystery of God in all; and when once you perceive this, you will henceforth grow everyday to a fuller understanding of it; until you come at last to love the whole world with a love that will then be all-embracing and universal”.
As Pope John Paul the Great of Blessed Memory rightly proclaimed with all strength and vigour all through his life and Petrine ministry, we must promote truth, not trash, and we must live for the truth at all times. The principal word that needs to be spoken through all media, whether new or old, is that of the Word Himself. And so, despite whatever problems arise, the “rapid development of new technologies rank among the marvellous things which God has placed at our disposal to discover, to use and to make known the truth, also the truth about our dignity and about our destiny as his children, heirs of his eternal Kingdom”.
This phenomenon mirrors the depth of spiritual insensibilities which are prevalent in today's world in contradistinction with the spiritual mentality of past times where the Divine Essence was everywhere and at all times perceived. The magnitude of awe and reverence with which people approached Divine realities (things of God) in times past has continued to wane in our own day, prompting deeper reflections on the mystery of life and the destiny of man.
A vehement wind has blown and has supplanted the high-sounding spiritual and human values of the past with the unfortunate triplets of Secularism, Consumerism and Commercialism, thereby instigating an acute shift of attention from the spiritual to the secular, from the sacred to the profane, from religious adherence to scientifico-technological enthusiasm, from rhapsodic meditations to superficial “busy-cissitudes”, and from personal immanence to gross “sociotainment” (the quality of being engaged with social and entertainment activities, e.g. dance, sports, music, and other sensual exercises.
The tremendous progressive “super-run” of the society today in its overall evolution from the past religio-cultural non-materialistic superstructure of the world to the present scientifico-technological and socio-developmental ascent is a welcome development brought about by the indomitable 'wind' of change. But it does leave a large chunk of sour salt for the human society to contend with. This portent of distastefulness is made concrete in the gradual erosion of the sense of the sacred, and by extension, the diffusion of those eternal and human values which accord invaluable measures of security to our existence.
Is this force which is symptomatic of the replacement of immanent values with a materialistic consciousness that occurs with the passage of time supposed to be a malevolent wind or a benevolent spirit? In other words, is this wind of change that is bringing about rapid global development and at the same time the gradual erosion of the sense of the sacred, for bad or for good?
It is pertinent to note, and forcefully I state and resound it, that, 'although times and tides change, the infant changes into a full-grown man, the monolithic culture of primitive society to the technological flight of the contemporary scientific society, everything changes; it may be change from order to order, from form to form, from process to process, maybe in kinds and styles, in varying structures and degrees, GOD DOES NOT CHANGE'. He is Changeless, Immutable, Omnipotent and Eternal. He is the Lord of History and the Controller of time, who gave everything its being and quality. He directs the movement of the cosmos and the course of change yet He remains unchanging.
It is therefore, an absolute misplacement of ideals and a tragic mistake to sideline God and His divinely inspired activities while inordinately embracing the gifts of nature and human progress which God himself has given.
The mistaken understanding that the progress of the contemporary scientific culture is solely the result of modern man's intelligence and ingenuity constitutes the bedrock for the erosion of the sense of the sacred. The effect of this is also seen in the loss of respect and value for human life, and the violation of human rights and dignity. This is a horrific situation, in fact, a 'time-bomb' that could lead to an ultimate human tragedy if not checked appropriately and soon enough. The sooner modern man realizes that God is the author, sustainer and summit of his being and progress, and live according to religio-ethical parameters established in the natural order, the better for the whole human race.
Let us all listen and hear the profound call, beckoning us all to make a U-turn from the directionless drift on the sea of life's abundance back to the purposeful guidance and will of the Almighty God, who will ensure that the superabundant gifts he has given are sustained in measureless plenitudes. It is all-too-important that we re-embrace the sense of the sacred. By “we”, I mean every human being, whether male or female, rich or poor, European or African, Asian or American, scientist or traditionalist everyone.
To recapture in all wholeness, and to develop healthily, a true and noble sense of the sacred, implies absolute consciousness of God, and unreserved adherence to His Divine Will, enriched with profound respect and honour for anything that has to do with God and Divine Mysteries.
In Biblical times, the Israelites trembled with fear and bowed down their heads in worship at the appearance of the Ark of the covenant which symbolized God's presence (cf. 25:22; Num 10: 33-36; 1Sam 4:4-11); they approached God's temple with awe and reverence (cf. 2Sam 6:1-23; 2Chr. 5:1-14), and observed the commandments of God accordingly. From their historical experiences, we discover that in the moments of adherence and worship, the people flourished in every way. But at those unfortunate times when their sense of fidelity departed them, they experienced disasters and faced fatal penalties. “The past”, they say, “exists and must be recalled to help better the present and improve the future”. Can modern society not learn from the experiences of these people?
The early Christian era and Middle Ages were a Divinocentric (God-centred) world where human life and values were upheld and made to flourish. There was a clear-cut demarcation between the sacred and the profane, with the former enjoying esteemed priority in the life-structure of the people. Within this ambience, life, peace and progress flourish in superabundance.
For the contemporary man of the critico-intellectual civilization, here is an urgent message: God is as present and active in world development and human progress, as he was in the beginning when he created the world, through the passage of time in the ancient past, and in the medieval age; so he rightly is in all traditions and cultures of the world, and so he will continue to be, because he remains changeless while he directs the course of change. Therefore, all mankind must adhere to him and worship him.
Let us be filled with reverence for the house of the Lord with a proper sense of decorum and order when we are in the Church, as well as in our approach to Liturgy. The Psalmist per-empted us in declaring: “I rejoiced when I heard them say, let us go to God's house … for love of the house of the Lord, we shall be filled with blessings” (Ps 122:1, 9). The Church is a sacred place, and within the Catholic setting, is the “Holy of holies” the Most Blessed Sacrament where the Most High God dwells, inviting us all day and night to come to him, to acknowledge his special gifts and to be good brothers and sisters of one another. Our attitude and carriage inside the Church matter a lot. We are supposed to genuflect before the Blessed Sacrament and reverence other Sacramentals within the Church with appropriate gestures, like making a profound bow before the Crucifix. The liturgical rites and prayers within the Christian assembly are also sacred entities which must be embraced with a responsible sense of devotion and submissiveness to the Divine Will.
When we give God the chance to rule over our lives and control our everyday activities, all other fundamental human values will be restored and channelled through the carriageway of resourcefulness. By this, we would actually come to realize the evil of homo homini lupus (man's inhumanity to man), and with purified consciences, we are to fully discover the import of the “Golden Rule” “Do to others as you would want done to you” (Sir. 4:15; Matt 7:12). This realization and the consequent affirmative action by all and sundry can prop up the reversal of the present degeneration into an embrace of worthy ideals the fear of God, the upholdance of human rights and the promotion of life to the fullest.
In the midst of change and progress, mankind can, and ought to, remain focused with an appropriate sense of the sacred. And while trying to yield up to this commitment, we are also urged to guard against the two extremes of Nihilism and Religious Fanaticism also called Fundamentalism. In his 2006 World Day of Peace message to the world, Pope Benedict XVI hinted so much on this task assuring us that it is a veritable road through which the world can pull out of its present social ills. Nihilism gives rise to the evil triplets of secularism, consumerism and commercialism, all of which serve the egotistic desires of some privileged few in the society presided over by the neglect of God, the disintegration of the dignity of personhood and the abuse of human rights, both in disguised and undisguised forms. Religious fanaticism or fundamentalism is the other extreme of misguidedly over-feeling God and over-reacting beyond the limit of reason all in the name of God. The effect of this is a deeper plunge into the murky waters of mischief and fatality. Alongside this effort, we must guard against being blown or tossed about by the wind of uncertainties and despair.
By this therefore, and as a matter of urgency, we are summoned to authentic faith, firm hope, and true love, all established on rocky foundations. “By faith, we understand that the universe was ordered by the Word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible” (cf. Heb 13: 3). By faith also, our understanding would help us to use all of God's provisions at his service and for the good of humankind. By firm hope, we can trust in God's furtherance of his blessings over us, and we can draw comfort, peace and joy. Let us reflect, then, with Fyodor Dostoyevsky and take it as a point of duty every moment of our lives that we must: “Love all God's creation, both the whole and every grain of sand; love every leaf, every ray of light; love the animals, love the plants, love each separate thing; if you love each thing you will perceive the mystery of God in all; and when once you perceive this, you will henceforth grow everyday to a fuller understanding of it; until you come at last to love the whole world with a love that will then be all-embracing and universal”.
As Pope John Paul the Great of Blessed Memory rightly proclaimed with all strength and vigour all through his life and Petrine ministry, we must promote truth, not trash, and we must live for the truth at all times. The principal word that needs to be spoken through all media, whether new or old, is that of the Word Himself. And so, despite whatever problems arise, the “rapid development of new technologies rank among the marvellous things which God has placed at our disposal to discover, to use and to make known the truth, also the truth about our dignity and about our destiny as his children, heirs of his eternal Kingdom”.
MARY, MOTHER OF GOD - Prof. Michael Ogunu
Non-Christians and Christian Fundamentalists are sometimes horrified when the Virgin Mary is referred to as the Mother of God. However, their reaction often rests upon a misapprehension of not only what this particular title of Mary signifies but also who Jesus was, and, in the case of fundamentalists, what their own theological forebears, the Protestant Reformers, had to say regarding this doctrine.
A woman is a man's mother either if she carried him in her womb or if she was the woman contributing half of his genetic matter or both. Mary was the mother of Jesus in both of these senses; because she not only carried Jesus in her womb but also supplied all of the genetic matter for his human body, since it was through hernot Josephthat Jesus "was descended from David according to the flesh" (Rom. 1:3).
Since Mary is Jesus' mother, it must be concluded that she is also the Mother of God: If Mary is the mother of Jesus, and if Jesus is God, then Mary is the Mother of God. There is no way out of this logical syllogism, the valid form of which has been recognized by classical logicians since before the time of Christ.
Although Mary is the Mother of God, it does not mean that she is older than God or the source of her Son's divinity, for she is not. Rather, we say that she is the Mother of God in the sense that she carried in her womb a divine per¬sonJesus Christ, God "in the flesh" (2 John 7, cf. John 1:14)and in the sense that she contributed the genetic matter to the human form God took in Jesus Christ.
To avoid this conclusion, Fundamentalists often assert that Mary did not carry God in her womb, but only carried Christ's human nature. This assertion reinvents a heresy from the fifth century known as Nestorianism, which runs aground on the fact that a mother does not merely carry the human nature of her child in her womb. Rather, she carries the person of her child. Women do not give birth to human natures; they give birth to persons. Mary thus carried and gave birth to the person of Jesus Christ, and the person she gave birth to is God.
The First and most fundamental teaching of the Catholic Church about Mary is based on her relationship with Jesus, that of being the mother. Jesus, 'Son of Mary' (Mk 6:3) is God; therefore, Mary is the Mother of God. The doctrine that the Blessed Virgin Mary is truly the Mother of God (Theotokos) was defined by the Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431. This does not mean that Mary, who was herself a creature of God, in any way produced or pre-existed the divinity. By her complete acceptance of God's plan, Mary became mother in time of the God who existed before time was. Christ took his human body, his human nature, from his mother, Mary. He was truly the son of Mary. Called in the Gospels "the mother of Jesus," Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth at the prompting of the Holy Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as "the mother of my Lord." The one whom Mary conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Catholic Church confesses that Mary is truly "Mother of God."
During the first few centuries of the growth of the Church, there arose three Christological heresies which bear on the issue of the divine maternity. The first was Docetism (A.D. 110), which, while acknowledging the divinity of Christ, rejected the reality of his human nature. Arianism (A.D. 230), the second heresy, on the other hand, accepted Jesus' humanity but denied that he was the son of God, the second person of the Blessed Trinity. Both of these heresies repudiated the dual nature of Christ and the mystery of the incarnation. If Docetism was correct, Mary could not be called the Mother of God, since she would not be the mother of God the son incarnate. If Arianism were true, Jesus was not divine, and Mary could not be considered the mother of God. At the first Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325), the first ecumenical council convened by the Church, both of these positions (Docetism and Arianism) were condemned, and the reality of Jesus as true God and true man was infallibly defined. The creed which the Council of Nicaea gave to the Church is known as the Nicene Creed.
After Nicaea a third Christological heresy arose, called nestorianism (A.D. 428), which proposed two persons in Christ, rather than two natures in one person. If Nestorianism was correct, Mary would then be the mother of the human person of Christ only and therefore not the mother of God. Nestorianism was condemned by the third ecumenical council held in Ephesus (A.D. 431). In substance, the council infallibly declared that Jesus was "according to his divinity, born-of-the Father before all ages, and in these last days, according to his humanity, born of the Virgin Mary for us men and for our salvation: A union was made of the two natures. In accordance with this understanding of the unconfused union we confess that the Holy Virgin is the Mother of God (Theotokos, God Bearer) through God the Word's being incarnate and becoming man, and from this conception, His joining to Himself the temple assumed from her."
It is clear from the statement of the Council Fathers that the Catholic Church calls Mary the Mother of God because Jesus, her son, is truly God. Those who claim that Mary is not the Mother of God are saying simply that Jesus is not God. Such is the position of people like Mr. Joseph Akaluso who, writing in the Guardian on Sunday of June 20,1999 under the title "Mary, not mother of God", claimed that although Jesus Christ possessed supernatural powers when he was on this earth, "He was not God,'' Jesus according to him, was God before he became man. "At the time the word was made flesh, he (Jesus) ceased to be God..." A fundamental truth of the Christian religion is the divinity of Christ. Christ is not only a perfect man but also true God. Hence denial of the divinity of Christ is certainly one of the gravest sins that any Christian can commit.
It should be noted however that the teaching of the Church that Mary is truly the Mother of God did not originate from the Council of Ephesus. Prior to Ephesus, the Church Fathers had taught that Mary is the Mother of God.
St. Iranaeus (A.D. 202) Bishop of Lyons and pupil of Polycap, St. John's disciple, declared: "The Virgin Mary being obedient to His word, received from the angel the glad tidings, that she would bear God."
Ephraim the Syrian affirmed his belief in the Virgin birth of our Lord as follows: "Though still a virgin she carried a child in her womb, and the handmaid and work of his wisdom became the Mother of God" (Songs of Praise 1:20 [A.D. 351]).
St. Alexander (A.D. 328), Bishop of Alexandria and a key figure at the Council of Nicaea wrote that "Jesus Christ ... bore a body not in appearance but in truth, derived" from the Mother of God."
St. Gregory of Nyssa (A.D. 371) proclaimed the virginity of Mary, referring to her as "Mary, the Mother of God."
St. Athanasius (A.D. 373) secretary and successor of Alexander reflected upon "the Word begotten of the Father on high," who "inexpressibly, inexplicably, incomprehensibly; and eternally, is he that is born in time here below of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God."
According to Gregory of Nazianz, "If anyone does not agree that holy Mary is Mother of God, he is at odds with the Godhead" (Letter to Cledonius the Priest [A.D. 382]).
St. Cyril (A.D. 386), Bishop of Jerusalem referred to "the Virgin Mother of God".
St. Epiphanius (A.D. 403) Bishop of Salamis writes of the "Holy Saviour who came down from heaven, took on humanity along with His divinity, incarnate among us, not in appearance but in truth ... from Mary, the Mother of God."
"I have been amazed”, says Cyril of Alexandria, “that some are utterly in doubt as to whether or not the holy Virgin is able to be called the Mother of God. For if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how should the holy Virgin who bore him not be the Mother of God?" (Letter to the Monks of Egypt [A.D. 427]). Later in A.D. 430, he wrote: "If anyone will not confess that the Emmanuel is very God, and that therefore the holy Virgin is the Mother of God, inasmuch as in the flesh she bore the Word of God made flesh [John 1:14]: let him be anathema" (Third Letter to Nestorius [A.D. 430]).
The message of the birth of Christ was heralded over the plains of Judea by messengers from heaven over two thousand years ago. On Christmas Day, we commemorate the coming on earth of God in human form, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, the Prince of Peace. With the Shepherds let us sing the praise of God and with the angels the song of thanksgiving: Glory to God in the highest and peace to men of good will. "Hail O Mary, Mother of God! Through you came to us the conquerer and triumphant vanquisher of hell”. Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
A woman is a man's mother either if she carried him in her womb or if she was the woman contributing half of his genetic matter or both. Mary was the mother of Jesus in both of these senses; because she not only carried Jesus in her womb but also supplied all of the genetic matter for his human body, since it was through hernot Josephthat Jesus "was descended from David according to the flesh" (Rom. 1:3).
Since Mary is Jesus' mother, it must be concluded that she is also the Mother of God: If Mary is the mother of Jesus, and if Jesus is God, then Mary is the Mother of God. There is no way out of this logical syllogism, the valid form of which has been recognized by classical logicians since before the time of Christ.
Although Mary is the Mother of God, it does not mean that she is older than God or the source of her Son's divinity, for she is not. Rather, we say that she is the Mother of God in the sense that she carried in her womb a divine per¬sonJesus Christ, God "in the flesh" (2 John 7, cf. John 1:14)and in the sense that she contributed the genetic matter to the human form God took in Jesus Christ.
To avoid this conclusion, Fundamentalists often assert that Mary did not carry God in her womb, but only carried Christ's human nature. This assertion reinvents a heresy from the fifth century known as Nestorianism, which runs aground on the fact that a mother does not merely carry the human nature of her child in her womb. Rather, she carries the person of her child. Women do not give birth to human natures; they give birth to persons. Mary thus carried and gave birth to the person of Jesus Christ, and the person she gave birth to is God.
The First and most fundamental teaching of the Catholic Church about Mary is based on her relationship with Jesus, that of being the mother. Jesus, 'Son of Mary' (Mk 6:3) is God; therefore, Mary is the Mother of God. The doctrine that the Blessed Virgin Mary is truly the Mother of God (Theotokos) was defined by the Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431. This does not mean that Mary, who was herself a creature of God, in any way produced or pre-existed the divinity. By her complete acceptance of God's plan, Mary became mother in time of the God who existed before time was. Christ took his human body, his human nature, from his mother, Mary. He was truly the son of Mary. Called in the Gospels "the mother of Jesus," Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth at the prompting of the Holy Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as "the mother of my Lord." The one whom Mary conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Catholic Church confesses that Mary is truly "Mother of God."
During the first few centuries of the growth of the Church, there arose three Christological heresies which bear on the issue of the divine maternity. The first was Docetism (A.D. 110), which, while acknowledging the divinity of Christ, rejected the reality of his human nature. Arianism (A.D. 230), the second heresy, on the other hand, accepted Jesus' humanity but denied that he was the son of God, the second person of the Blessed Trinity. Both of these heresies repudiated the dual nature of Christ and the mystery of the incarnation. If Docetism was correct, Mary could not be called the Mother of God, since she would not be the mother of God the son incarnate. If Arianism were true, Jesus was not divine, and Mary could not be considered the mother of God. At the first Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325), the first ecumenical council convened by the Church, both of these positions (Docetism and Arianism) were condemned, and the reality of Jesus as true God and true man was infallibly defined. The creed which the Council of Nicaea gave to the Church is known as the Nicene Creed.
After Nicaea a third Christological heresy arose, called nestorianism (A.D. 428), which proposed two persons in Christ, rather than two natures in one person. If Nestorianism was correct, Mary would then be the mother of the human person of Christ only and therefore not the mother of God. Nestorianism was condemned by the third ecumenical council held in Ephesus (A.D. 431). In substance, the council infallibly declared that Jesus was "according to his divinity, born-of-the Father before all ages, and in these last days, according to his humanity, born of the Virgin Mary for us men and for our salvation: A union was made of the two natures. In accordance with this understanding of the unconfused union we confess that the Holy Virgin is the Mother of God (Theotokos, God Bearer) through God the Word's being incarnate and becoming man, and from this conception, His joining to Himself the temple assumed from her."
It is clear from the statement of the Council Fathers that the Catholic Church calls Mary the Mother of God because Jesus, her son, is truly God. Those who claim that Mary is not the Mother of God are saying simply that Jesus is not God. Such is the position of people like Mr. Joseph Akaluso who, writing in the Guardian on Sunday of June 20,1999 under the title "Mary, not mother of God", claimed that although Jesus Christ possessed supernatural powers when he was on this earth, "He was not God,'' Jesus according to him, was God before he became man. "At the time the word was made flesh, he (Jesus) ceased to be God..." A fundamental truth of the Christian religion is the divinity of Christ. Christ is not only a perfect man but also true God. Hence denial of the divinity of Christ is certainly one of the gravest sins that any Christian can commit.
It should be noted however that the teaching of the Church that Mary is truly the Mother of God did not originate from the Council of Ephesus. Prior to Ephesus, the Church Fathers had taught that Mary is the Mother of God.
St. Iranaeus (A.D. 202) Bishop of Lyons and pupil of Polycap, St. John's disciple, declared: "The Virgin Mary being obedient to His word, received from the angel the glad tidings, that she would bear God."
Ephraim the Syrian affirmed his belief in the Virgin birth of our Lord as follows: "Though still a virgin she carried a child in her womb, and the handmaid and work of his wisdom became the Mother of God" (Songs of Praise 1:20 [A.D. 351]).
St. Alexander (A.D. 328), Bishop of Alexandria and a key figure at the Council of Nicaea wrote that "Jesus Christ ... bore a body not in appearance but in truth, derived" from the Mother of God."
St. Gregory of Nyssa (A.D. 371) proclaimed the virginity of Mary, referring to her as "Mary, the Mother of God."
St. Athanasius (A.D. 373) secretary and successor of Alexander reflected upon "the Word begotten of the Father on high," who "inexpressibly, inexplicably, incomprehensibly; and eternally, is he that is born in time here below of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God."
According to Gregory of Nazianz, "If anyone does not agree that holy Mary is Mother of God, he is at odds with the Godhead" (Letter to Cledonius the Priest [A.D. 382]).
St. Cyril (A.D. 386), Bishop of Jerusalem referred to "the Virgin Mother of God".
St. Epiphanius (A.D. 403) Bishop of Salamis writes of the "Holy Saviour who came down from heaven, took on humanity along with His divinity, incarnate among us, not in appearance but in truth ... from Mary, the Mother of God."
"I have been amazed”, says Cyril of Alexandria, “that some are utterly in doubt as to whether or not the holy Virgin is able to be called the Mother of God. For if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how should the holy Virgin who bore him not be the Mother of God?" (Letter to the Monks of Egypt [A.D. 427]). Later in A.D. 430, he wrote: "If anyone will not confess that the Emmanuel is very God, and that therefore the holy Virgin is the Mother of God, inasmuch as in the flesh she bore the Word of God made flesh [John 1:14]: let him be anathema" (Third Letter to Nestorius [A.D. 430]).
The message of the birth of Christ was heralded over the plains of Judea by messengers from heaven over two thousand years ago. On Christmas Day, we commemorate the coming on earth of God in human form, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, the Prince of Peace. With the Shepherds let us sing the praise of God and with the angels the song of thanksgiving: Glory to God in the highest and peace to men of good will. "Hail O Mary, Mother of God! Through you came to us the conquerer and triumphant vanquisher of hell”. Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
GOD IS WITH US - Fr. Leonard Anetekhai
The glue is a powerful liquid that can make anything stick together, but there is something a glue cannot do no matter how lard it is applied. It cannot heal a broken heart; when promises are not kept, no matter its form, or pledges are not fulfilled, it can result to a broken heart and no amount of glue can bring it back except the grace of God.
As humans, we make promises and pledges, but majority of us never keep to them because of our human weakness. But for Him who has created us, He is forever faithful to His promises, no matter the condition or situation. He may seem to delay in granting request, but he will never deny us when the time comes.
He promises through His prophet greatness for all. We are told, at the appointed time, he sent his Son born of a woman (the Blessed Virgin Mary) to save us from all our sins. (cf. Is. 7:14).
To us a king has been given, a prince of peace, a saviour to free us from the bondage of sin God is with us, Yes, God is with us, but the majority among his creatures still wonder why some go to bed without food in their stomach, why people (dear ones) travel and never return back to us, why will He allow people to commit electoral fraud without striking them down, why injustice are bound all around us, why peace and hatred has become a paradigm for us as a people of God.
Christians, the name we call ourselves and the identity we want to be acknowledge with in name and not in practice may be because of fear of the unknown or not to become a loner in a world where sincerity and spirituality only lies in the mind and not in actions.
We must understand that God can be found in three ways in our lives. First, He is a God of Puzzle. When we are faced with a Puzzle game or question, it takes a quiet mind to put one and two together to solve a Puzzle. So is God, in our state of confusion and misunderstanding, we tend to see God working out thing in our lives, His ways are not our ways and His thoughts not our thought. Yet in our confused state, He is always with us.
Secondly, He is a God of troubles. Those who are willing to serve God should be prepared for an ordeal. His birth was a sign of contradiction to so many of His time. Even Joseph his earthly father was troubled because he was told that his wife to be Mary, is with a child. Unlike many Africans, if not all African men, will not think twice before giving their wives a local visa to pack to her parent's house, if such is held, Joseph a man of honour humbled himself and welcomed the will of God the father in his life.
As Christians, many troubles will come to us because of our faith, let us not be discouraged, God is with us.
Thirdly, God is a God of presents (gifts). He offers us his gift of SALVATION. He is always with us in our sorrows, he is with us in our joy, he is with us in our struggles God is always with us, making us feel each moments of our life that we should be saved.
As humans, we make promises and pledges, but majority of us never keep to them because of our human weakness. But for Him who has created us, He is forever faithful to His promises, no matter the condition or situation. He may seem to delay in granting request, but he will never deny us when the time comes.
He promises through His prophet greatness for all. We are told, at the appointed time, he sent his Son born of a woman (the Blessed Virgin Mary) to save us from all our sins. (cf. Is. 7:14).
To us a king has been given, a prince of peace, a saviour to free us from the bondage of sin God is with us, Yes, God is with us, but the majority among his creatures still wonder why some go to bed without food in their stomach, why people (dear ones) travel and never return back to us, why will He allow people to commit electoral fraud without striking them down, why injustice are bound all around us, why peace and hatred has become a paradigm for us as a people of God.
Christians, the name we call ourselves and the identity we want to be acknowledge with in name and not in practice may be because of fear of the unknown or not to become a loner in a world where sincerity and spirituality only lies in the mind and not in actions.
We must understand that God can be found in three ways in our lives. First, He is a God of Puzzle. When we are faced with a Puzzle game or question, it takes a quiet mind to put one and two together to solve a Puzzle. So is God, in our state of confusion and misunderstanding, we tend to see God working out thing in our lives, His ways are not our ways and His thoughts not our thought. Yet in our confused state, He is always with us.
Secondly, He is a God of troubles. Those who are willing to serve God should be prepared for an ordeal. His birth was a sign of contradiction to so many of His time. Even Joseph his earthly father was troubled because he was told that his wife to be Mary, is with a child. Unlike many Africans, if not all African men, will not think twice before giving their wives a local visa to pack to her parent's house, if such is held, Joseph a man of honour humbled himself and welcomed the will of God the father in his life.
As Christians, many troubles will come to us because of our faith, let us not be discouraged, God is with us.
Thirdly, God is a God of presents (gifts). He offers us his gift of SALVATION. He is always with us in our sorrows, he is with us in our joy, he is with us in our struggles God is always with us, making us feel each moments of our life that we should be saved.
THIS IS CHRISTMAS - Most Rev. (Dr.) Gabriel G. Dunia
Christmas is an ageless reminder for all to maintain the inviolability of the reciprocity of the Love of God which has been bequeathed to humanity in perpetuity. God practicalized this Love by sending his beloved Son to the world so that all who believe will have eternal life; “ For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16).
2. Humanity, must therefore, have regard for God with almost priority by being mindful of the maintenance of the inviolability of the reciprocity of God's inestimable Love for the world and its peoples. There are very many acceptable ways men and women of all conditions and states of life can be mindful in maintaining the inviolability of the reciprocity of God's Love for humanity. Yet, in our days, so many men and women tend to abandon these acceptable ways. They now prefer to follow their own worldly ways that have no bearing on believing in God's only begotten Son. This is now mostly the case at Christmas and Easter especially. By so doing many men and women now continue to undermine the inviolability of the reciprocity of the Love of God which they have duty and obligation to maintain so that they may not perish.
3. At Christmas, as at Easter, more than ever before, the faithful are supposed to attend and participate actively in the celebration of the Holy Mass and receive the Holy Eucharist which is the Body and Blood of the only Son of God in whom one must believe if one wishes to be saved ( John 3:16). The contrary is, however, the case in our days. In our days, many people leave their places or work and residence for their towns and villages, which is good. Unbelievably, these people willfully refuse and fail to attend any of the Holy Masses celebrated on Christmas night, day and season. These set of people who are supposed to be more spiritually conscious and be close to God by visiting their own home parish priest whom they have neither seen nor contacted for the past one or more years, cleverly avoid both attending church's celebrations and visiting their parish priests throughout their staying at home during Christmas. These people allow worldly cares such as family, club, economic, political and other meetings and celebrations to totally swallow them to the point of no return. They could, if they were so disposed, arrange and attend to these meetings, gatherings, celebrations and others without neglecting means of the Salvation of their souls.
4. The Bible teaches us that “from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John1:16). While it is not my intention to be unnecessarily judgmental, I am obliged as the shepherd of God's Holy people, to point out the locations of many bottomless pits into which many of our faithful now knowingly and willfully fall. At Christmas the faithful are supposed to be overwhelmed, more than ever before, with the love of God being celebrated. yet, instead of that being the case many weak faithful come home at Christmas to worship idols and organize trips to homes of native or witch doctors “to find out” about the evils they believe are likely to befall them the coming year and how they could be helped by these idols and native or witch doctors. These kind of behaviour insults the love of God and makes those concerned fall away from the fullness of the grace of God to the damnation of the devil and his agents. Christian faithful especially and indeed all men and women must retrace their steps, discover the path that leads to God in Christ more at this period of Christmas instead of turning Christmas holiday into an opportunity to turn against God and his Love.
5. One of the popular Christmas hymn: “O come let us adore him” invites all to come, worship and adore Christ the eternal love of God with a difference. To us priests and consecrated persons among the faithful of Christ must therefore be more available, ready and willing to invite the faithful to a closer knowledge of God in Christ Jesus by a special concern for how the members of our flock are faring, first, spiritually and then otherwise. We must commit ourselves to doing this most passionately without any hesitation or hindrance because our calling has made it incumbent upon us to act just in the affirmative not on the contrary.
6. The salvation of God is for all mankind (Luke 3:6) to bring this salvation to all mankind, humanity has the duty an obligation to “prepare the way of the lord, make straight his paths”(Luke 3:4). Hence, we must not fail to call upon our politicians, now that the 2011 elections are very close at hand, to endeavour to play politics, with absolute love of God and man on their hearts and minds so the straight and level play fields are put in place by those whose duty it is to plan and organize elections for the politicians as well as the electorate whose duty it is to elect candidates of their choices. It must be made clear in the minds of both politicians and electorate that electoral frauds in any forms cannot constitute any well intentioned manifestoes for bringing good governance, freedom and salvation to the people.
7. Christmas which is the celebration of eternal love of God calls for sharing our possessions with those who do not have (Luke 3:11); it calls for abandonment of armed robbery, abduction and kidnapping, assassination and other forms of evil (Luke 3:13-14); it calls for proper repentance, accepting and believing in Jesus Christ, (Luke 3:3)
The greatest and most acceptable sacrifice that can ever be made is the offering of love without any limit and condition. This is the only way a man can perfectly maintain the inviolability of the reciprocity of the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
2. Humanity, must therefore, have regard for God with almost priority by being mindful of the maintenance of the inviolability of the reciprocity of God's inestimable Love for the world and its peoples. There are very many acceptable ways men and women of all conditions and states of life can be mindful in maintaining the inviolability of the reciprocity of God's Love for humanity. Yet, in our days, so many men and women tend to abandon these acceptable ways. They now prefer to follow their own worldly ways that have no bearing on believing in God's only begotten Son. This is now mostly the case at Christmas and Easter especially. By so doing many men and women now continue to undermine the inviolability of the reciprocity of the Love of God which they have duty and obligation to maintain so that they may not perish.
3. At Christmas, as at Easter, more than ever before, the faithful are supposed to attend and participate actively in the celebration of the Holy Mass and receive the Holy Eucharist which is the Body and Blood of the only Son of God in whom one must believe if one wishes to be saved ( John 3:16). The contrary is, however, the case in our days. In our days, many people leave their places or work and residence for their towns and villages, which is good. Unbelievably, these people willfully refuse and fail to attend any of the Holy Masses celebrated on Christmas night, day and season. These set of people who are supposed to be more spiritually conscious and be close to God by visiting their own home parish priest whom they have neither seen nor contacted for the past one or more years, cleverly avoid both attending church's celebrations and visiting their parish priests throughout their staying at home during Christmas. These people allow worldly cares such as family, club, economic, political and other meetings and celebrations to totally swallow them to the point of no return. They could, if they were so disposed, arrange and attend to these meetings, gatherings, celebrations and others without neglecting means of the Salvation of their souls.
4. The Bible teaches us that “from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John1:16). While it is not my intention to be unnecessarily judgmental, I am obliged as the shepherd of God's Holy people, to point out the locations of many bottomless pits into which many of our faithful now knowingly and willfully fall. At Christmas the faithful are supposed to be overwhelmed, more than ever before, with the love of God being celebrated. yet, instead of that being the case many weak faithful come home at Christmas to worship idols and organize trips to homes of native or witch doctors “to find out” about the evils they believe are likely to befall them the coming year and how they could be helped by these idols and native or witch doctors. These kind of behaviour insults the love of God and makes those concerned fall away from the fullness of the grace of God to the damnation of the devil and his agents. Christian faithful especially and indeed all men and women must retrace their steps, discover the path that leads to God in Christ more at this period of Christmas instead of turning Christmas holiday into an opportunity to turn against God and his Love.
5. One of the popular Christmas hymn: “O come let us adore him” invites all to come, worship and adore Christ the eternal love of God with a difference. To us priests and consecrated persons among the faithful of Christ must therefore be more available, ready and willing to invite the faithful to a closer knowledge of God in Christ Jesus by a special concern for how the members of our flock are faring, first, spiritually and then otherwise. We must commit ourselves to doing this most passionately without any hesitation or hindrance because our calling has made it incumbent upon us to act just in the affirmative not on the contrary.
6. The salvation of God is for all mankind (Luke 3:6) to bring this salvation to all mankind, humanity has the duty an obligation to “prepare the way of the lord, make straight his paths”(Luke 3:4). Hence, we must not fail to call upon our politicians, now that the 2011 elections are very close at hand, to endeavour to play politics, with absolute love of God and man on their hearts and minds so the straight and level play fields are put in place by those whose duty it is to plan and organize elections for the politicians as well as the electorate whose duty it is to elect candidates of their choices. It must be made clear in the minds of both politicians and electorate that electoral frauds in any forms cannot constitute any well intentioned manifestoes for bringing good governance, freedom and salvation to the people.
7. Christmas which is the celebration of eternal love of God calls for sharing our possessions with those who do not have (Luke 3:11); it calls for abandonment of armed robbery, abduction and kidnapping, assassination and other forms of evil (Luke 3:13-14); it calls for proper repentance, accepting and believing in Jesus Christ, (Luke 3:3)
The greatest and most acceptable sacrifice that can ever be made is the offering of love without any limit and condition. This is the only way a man can perfectly maintain the inviolability of the reciprocity of the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
THE QUESTIONS OF LIFE AND DEATH - Rev. Fr. Francis Ikhianosime
Two words which can certainly be said to be central to discussions on human and family life are: love and life. While life flows from love, life interprets the meaning of love. The issue of life is so central because, it is that involves the whole human person. In it, a human person is essentially defined and the question of human dignity is implied. In it too involves a number of moral issues. The question of life in human and family life begins with the discussion: where does life begin since it is argued that all human life is sacred? Again, when can someone be said to be the subject of human dignity?
Hardly is there a serious contest as to when life begins but the conflict however arises when moral issues like Abortion are in question. A large part of the scientific community as well as orthodox Christianity and more dogmatically, Catholicism, agrees that human life begins at conception. Positively, conception takes place after fertilization which usually takes place 24 hours after intercourse. So, God at fertilization breathes a living soul into the zygote and unquestionably it becomes a human person (cf Gen 2:7, 1:26). He thus becomes a subject of all human rights, even though unborn. The ground for establishing the beginning of life is because of the alarming and infectious wave of modern humanistic trends which tend to violate the unborn person as merely a tissue which could be discarded and the rights of the physical human person has been emphasized to the detriment of the unborn human person. And so, it becomes expedient to establish claims even from science to dwarf this misgiving.
A scientific textbook called “Basics of Biology” gives five characteristics of living things; these five criteria are found in all modern elementary scientific textbooks: (1) Living things are highly organized. (2) All living things have an ability to acquire materials and energy. (3) All living things have an ability to respond to their environment. (4). All living things have an ability to reproduce. (5) All living things have an ability to adapt. According to this elementary definition of life, life begins at fertilization, when a sperm unites with an oocyte.
From this moment, the being is highly organized, has the ability to acquire materials and energy, has the ability to respond to his or her environment, has the ability to adapt, and has the ability to reproduce (the cells divide, then divide again, etc., and barring pathology and pending reproductive maturity has the potential to reproduce other members of the species). Non-living things do not do these things. Even before the mother is aware that she is pregnant, a distinct, unique life has begun his or her existence inside her. It must be stated too that that life is unquestionably human. This is because the distinguishing marks or what is called “Genetic imprint” of the human person; the DNA is already established and in fact the sex is determined. And so, that being is an individual. A person does not become an individual when he ceases to grow or born and not even death ceases the individuality of a person. This being so, life must therefore be conceived in the continuum: Before birth- birth- death- after death. So, life becomes one single garment that goes on through different phases. Personhood and individuality thus are not limited to the phases between birth and death.
Science too has established the following facts about the growth of the unborn child. Eighteen days after conception the baby's heart is beating. During the first month the baby grows to 10,000 times its size at conception. It moves six weeks after conception though the mother does not yet feel the movements. At eight weeks, every part of the body found in an adult is already in the baby. At eleven weeks after conception the baby has finger-prints and the finger nails are growing. At twelve weeks the baby's lips open and close. It can wrinkle its forehead, raise its eyes, turns its head, smile and frown. At sixteen weeks it reacts to sound, sucks and swallows, may get hiccups, yawns and stretches. Although moving since six weeks, at eighteen weeks the mother now feels the movements. The baby pushes with its feet and head to exercise and tone its developing muscles and also sucks its thumb. Its toenails, hair, eyebrows, fringe of eyelashes on closed eyelids are growing. At twenty weeks the baby sleeps and wakes and is fully able to hear. At twenty four weeks the baby may possibly dream and can make a fist and punch it against its mother. By twenty-five weeks the baby in the womb has the ability to hear like that of an adult and can discern the moods and attitudes of its mother
The consequent implication of this claim and fact is that the unborn child since he is also a human being, is a subject of equal rights and obligations of a viable human person and the first is that it has the right to life and the right to live. For one to destroy such life at the expense of human pride would be setting a standard for the vulnerable to be destroyed. Every human being is vulnerable at different points in life and we can enjoy the protection we may crave for and indeed help to safeguard the extinction of the human species, if we protect the vulnerable ones who depend on us for protection. To therefore maim the unborn and in fact kill it would be a case of destroying the institution of humanity at a certain level; a case of self-immolation. More so, against this back drop, any law, behavior or act that is opposed to the protection of the right of the human person is thus a counterproductive one which should not be obeyed or respected at least and should at most be condemned. This truth forbids to mothers who are pregnant whether knowingly or unknowingly to apply any such thing in the form of drug or the like; to disrupt the growth of the viable foetus. Any such act is a case of committing murder and in fact the transgressing of the fifth commandment of the Decalogue: “thou shalt not kill” (cf. Exodus 20:13). Also all those who by complicity or association directly collaborate or advice the direct killing of an unborn child are guilty of the same sin and liable to the consequences of this grievous offence as killing always elicit. It is along this boarder that Capital Punishment is condemned and a law which should be abrogated from every civil penal code as a form of penalty or deterrence. This brings us to the question of death.
Just as we have no right to take away one's life, because it is a gift, so also we cannot take another's on any condition. The questions of life and death condition our moral options. Man does not enjoy the exclusive reserve to pass someone for death even when the person is suffering from grave irrecoverable ailing conditions. It is similarly when a person has been certified lifeless or dead can we treat it as a cadaver that it has become. If not, it becomes a grave sin and one opposed to human dignity if we treat someone who still has the breath of God in him and so recognized as “image of God” (imago Dei) with contempt or any violation that suggests such.
Death is usually conceived by modern science in three forms: traditional heart-lung failure, whole brain death and higher-brain death. Knowing when a person is no longer alive is a fundamental problem when it comes to medical situations like organ transplantation. Deciding when a person is no longer alive also has significant consequences for just what we consider a "person" to be. One can destroy life by issues which threaten the comfort of life, for example: malnutrition, carelessness, abuse, theft, hatred, discrimination. Also, our treatment of the sick and aged reflect whether we have value for life or promote the culture of death. Any desecration to life is a crime that God will bring to judgment. (Gen 9:5-6)
In sum, we must recall that God is the author of life and the protection of life is not just a respect for the dignity of the human person but also for the presence of God. In contrast, the devil is the author of death because by tempting men to sin he was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). Thus anyone who kills by whatever form professes leaning for the devil as its agent. St. John clearly states the triple-fold mission of the devil as: to steal, to kill and to destroy (John 10:10) but lo, Christ brings life and only those who are for life would protect, promote and preserve this life.
Hardly is there a serious contest as to when life begins but the conflict however arises when moral issues like Abortion are in question. A large part of the scientific community as well as orthodox Christianity and more dogmatically, Catholicism, agrees that human life begins at conception. Positively, conception takes place after fertilization which usually takes place 24 hours after intercourse. So, God at fertilization breathes a living soul into the zygote and unquestionably it becomes a human person (cf Gen 2:7, 1:26). He thus becomes a subject of all human rights, even though unborn. The ground for establishing the beginning of life is because of the alarming and infectious wave of modern humanistic trends which tend to violate the unborn person as merely a tissue which could be discarded and the rights of the physical human person has been emphasized to the detriment of the unborn human person. And so, it becomes expedient to establish claims even from science to dwarf this misgiving.
A scientific textbook called “Basics of Biology” gives five characteristics of living things; these five criteria are found in all modern elementary scientific textbooks: (1) Living things are highly organized. (2) All living things have an ability to acquire materials and energy. (3) All living things have an ability to respond to their environment. (4). All living things have an ability to reproduce. (5) All living things have an ability to adapt. According to this elementary definition of life, life begins at fertilization, when a sperm unites with an oocyte.
From this moment, the being is highly organized, has the ability to acquire materials and energy, has the ability to respond to his or her environment, has the ability to adapt, and has the ability to reproduce (the cells divide, then divide again, etc., and barring pathology and pending reproductive maturity has the potential to reproduce other members of the species). Non-living things do not do these things. Even before the mother is aware that she is pregnant, a distinct, unique life has begun his or her existence inside her. It must be stated too that that life is unquestionably human. This is because the distinguishing marks or what is called “Genetic imprint” of the human person; the DNA is already established and in fact the sex is determined. And so, that being is an individual. A person does not become an individual when he ceases to grow or born and not even death ceases the individuality of a person. This being so, life must therefore be conceived in the continuum: Before birth- birth- death- after death. So, life becomes one single garment that goes on through different phases. Personhood and individuality thus are not limited to the phases between birth and death.
Science too has established the following facts about the growth of the unborn child. Eighteen days after conception the baby's heart is beating. During the first month the baby grows to 10,000 times its size at conception. It moves six weeks after conception though the mother does not yet feel the movements. At eight weeks, every part of the body found in an adult is already in the baby. At eleven weeks after conception the baby has finger-prints and the finger nails are growing. At twelve weeks the baby's lips open and close. It can wrinkle its forehead, raise its eyes, turns its head, smile and frown. At sixteen weeks it reacts to sound, sucks and swallows, may get hiccups, yawns and stretches. Although moving since six weeks, at eighteen weeks the mother now feels the movements. The baby pushes with its feet and head to exercise and tone its developing muscles and also sucks its thumb. Its toenails, hair, eyebrows, fringe of eyelashes on closed eyelids are growing. At twenty weeks the baby sleeps and wakes and is fully able to hear. At twenty four weeks the baby may possibly dream and can make a fist and punch it against its mother. By twenty-five weeks the baby in the womb has the ability to hear like that of an adult and can discern the moods and attitudes of its mother
The consequent implication of this claim and fact is that the unborn child since he is also a human being, is a subject of equal rights and obligations of a viable human person and the first is that it has the right to life and the right to live. For one to destroy such life at the expense of human pride would be setting a standard for the vulnerable to be destroyed. Every human being is vulnerable at different points in life and we can enjoy the protection we may crave for and indeed help to safeguard the extinction of the human species, if we protect the vulnerable ones who depend on us for protection. To therefore maim the unborn and in fact kill it would be a case of destroying the institution of humanity at a certain level; a case of self-immolation. More so, against this back drop, any law, behavior or act that is opposed to the protection of the right of the human person is thus a counterproductive one which should not be obeyed or respected at least and should at most be condemned. This truth forbids to mothers who are pregnant whether knowingly or unknowingly to apply any such thing in the form of drug or the like; to disrupt the growth of the viable foetus. Any such act is a case of committing murder and in fact the transgressing of the fifth commandment of the Decalogue: “thou shalt not kill” (cf. Exodus 20:13). Also all those who by complicity or association directly collaborate or advice the direct killing of an unborn child are guilty of the same sin and liable to the consequences of this grievous offence as killing always elicit. It is along this boarder that Capital Punishment is condemned and a law which should be abrogated from every civil penal code as a form of penalty or deterrence. This brings us to the question of death.
Just as we have no right to take away one's life, because it is a gift, so also we cannot take another's on any condition. The questions of life and death condition our moral options. Man does not enjoy the exclusive reserve to pass someone for death even when the person is suffering from grave irrecoverable ailing conditions. It is similarly when a person has been certified lifeless or dead can we treat it as a cadaver that it has become. If not, it becomes a grave sin and one opposed to human dignity if we treat someone who still has the breath of God in him and so recognized as “image of God” (imago Dei) with contempt or any violation that suggests such.
Death is usually conceived by modern science in three forms: traditional heart-lung failure, whole brain death and higher-brain death. Knowing when a person is no longer alive is a fundamental problem when it comes to medical situations like organ transplantation. Deciding when a person is no longer alive also has significant consequences for just what we consider a "person" to be. One can destroy life by issues which threaten the comfort of life, for example: malnutrition, carelessness, abuse, theft, hatred, discrimination. Also, our treatment of the sick and aged reflect whether we have value for life or promote the culture of death. Any desecration to life is a crime that God will bring to judgment. (Gen 9:5-6)
In sum, we must recall that God is the author of life and the protection of life is not just a respect for the dignity of the human person but also for the presence of God. In contrast, the devil is the author of death because by tempting men to sin he was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). Thus anyone who kills by whatever form professes leaning for the devil as its agent. St. John clearly states the triple-fold mission of the devil as: to steal, to kill and to destroy (John 10:10) but lo, Christ brings life and only those who are for life would protect, promote and preserve this life.
DEMONSTRATION OF “CRAZE” - Rev. Fr. Leonard O. Anetekhai
It is unimaginable to see workers in Nigeria crying for minimum wage in this dispensation. For some the so called minimum wage is to make the poor exist along side with the rich: if they cannot afford three square meal per day, they can at least afford a triangle one. As the saying goes, “if you can not beat them you join them.” In the case of Civil Servants, we cannot beat them, because “they have the knife and the yam” to do as they wish, but we can frustrate their efforts. The majority have the key to the success of the minority, but the minority are using the key to lock the progress and development of the resources that will enhance the living condition of the majority. This is our case in Nigeria and it is shameful to comprehend.
The call for a strike by various unions to demand the implementation of the new minimum wage from 7,500 naira to 17,000 and now 18,000 naira is necessary and important because of the rising cost of living. This wage as approved by the Federal Government is quite inadequate and demoralising, because the wives of those who earn this meagre amount will buy from the same market with those earning over 450,000 naira per month. It is only in Nigeria, we see a primary six holder earning as much as 164 million Naira per year and when we calculate the so called minimum wage it is just 216,000 thousand Naira per year. Lord have mercy on your poor people in Nigeria.
It is painful that even the President is not addressing this injustice. In addressing the Nigerian workers at the start of the proposed strike action, the President said: "I believe labour will stay with us and we are also pleading with them that they should reason with us. On the issue of the wage, you know the federal government presently pays 17,000 and within this period, we raised it from 7500 to 17,000. Now they are talking about the minimum wage of 18,000, you will agree with me that 1000 difference for good people that have been friendly will not lead to any industrial action."
“If you become very strict on the issue of minimum wage as applied elsewhere in this country, I find it very difficult to believe that presently any federal government staff is even earning less than 18,000, because the minimum wage of 18,000 is level one step one, which is supposed to be for primary six holders and most of the federal government staff are either level three or level four and above..."
Thank God Mr. president knows that 18,000 is supposed to be for primary six holders, but the painful part of this is that, the president disclosed that due process has to be followed before the wage increase can be implemented, adding that the increase will not only affect the arms of government, but also the private sector. "If it was salary increase I don't think we will be discussing this matter, but this is minimum wage; because it is minimum wage it has to pass through all the sections of government as specified by law. It must go to the national assembly because the law must be made and the minimum wage does not affect only government employees and that is what Nigerians should know. Assuming federal, states and local government can pay, what of the private people who employ? Every employer of labour is affected, so if we now just go and impose a minimum wage on all Nigerians without due consultation, do you think small and medium scale enterprises can all meet up?"
Please save us this goodluck speech and address the problem. The fat salaries by The National assembly members, as well as the past presidents are enjoying benefit of the national treasury, even after filling their pockets. The fact is that Nigerian Politics is lucrative and politicians have turned themselves into instant millionaires just for being members of the National Assembly, paying themselves huge and unjustified salaries and allowances not commensurate with their very low productivity and without doing anything worthwhile for the country. My question is this: Do we have Legislators or “Legis-looters”, Executives members of the national assembly or “Execu-thieves”?
It is no wonder that Nigerians are yet to see the dividends of democracy. For the past 11 years democracy is still crawling because we have high class men as leaders and not servants. If nothing is done quickly to stem this looting surge, it may come to a time that there will be no money to run the government beyond paying the swollen salaries and allowances (looting in disguise) of our public office holders. Yes, some will say there is “Oil”, but remember “a talents that is not well appreciated and used well” will died a natural death.
Let us pause for a while and think of what these huge sums of money used in paying opportunists and never-do-well politicians can do if diverted to building power plants to rescue us from our power problem, fortifying our security system, funding railway and road construction, funding education, reviving agriculture, funding hospitals and dispensaries, developing the Niger Delta and even paying salaries of teachers and the pension entitlements of our pensioners.
In my own view this whole idea of warning the government about strike action cannot dry the tears of the poor in this country. Sometimes, we need to ask ourselves some questions about the reasons for going on strike as masses and also look into the agenda of those who call out for a strike action because of low income, instead of us to sit back after promissory note from the government and watch the jobless individuals in the national assembly without any iota of shame to silently increase their own salaries, for legislating nothing. There are numerous bills yet to face first readings that affect some Unions, if not all, yet we want to demonstrate our madness by calling for a strike on a matter where there is no argument. We should cry out over the waste, over the thievery, cheating and injustice under the guise of democracy.
It is a great injustice, because one cannot comprehend that for the House of Representatives, there are 360 of these parasites. Each gets 36 Million per quarter, which translates to 144 million per year per Member. The calculation of their drain on the Nigerian treasury is 360 X 144 million Naira X 4 years = 207,360,000,000 or 207 Billion Naira. Each member of the House of Representatives will take home 576 Million Naira after 4 years, laughing all the way to the banks. If this is the fate of a mere parasite what will be that of the virus (Senators).
Whatever it is, Nigeria cannot sustain or afford this waste, what I will say is: If the poor cannot lead, let them share in the riches of the nation, let the minimum wage be implemented to save our economy.
The call for a strike by various unions to demand the implementation of the new minimum wage from 7,500 naira to 17,000 and now 18,000 naira is necessary and important because of the rising cost of living. This wage as approved by the Federal Government is quite inadequate and demoralising, because the wives of those who earn this meagre amount will buy from the same market with those earning over 450,000 naira per month. It is only in Nigeria, we see a primary six holder earning as much as 164 million Naira per year and when we calculate the so called minimum wage it is just 216,000 thousand Naira per year. Lord have mercy on your poor people in Nigeria.
It is painful that even the President is not addressing this injustice. In addressing the Nigerian workers at the start of the proposed strike action, the President said: "I believe labour will stay with us and we are also pleading with them that they should reason with us. On the issue of the wage, you know the federal government presently pays 17,000 and within this period, we raised it from 7500 to 17,000. Now they are talking about the minimum wage of 18,000, you will agree with me that 1000 difference for good people that have been friendly will not lead to any industrial action."
“If you become very strict on the issue of minimum wage as applied elsewhere in this country, I find it very difficult to believe that presently any federal government staff is even earning less than 18,000, because the minimum wage of 18,000 is level one step one, which is supposed to be for primary six holders and most of the federal government staff are either level three or level four and above..."
Thank God Mr. president knows that 18,000 is supposed to be for primary six holders, but the painful part of this is that, the president disclosed that due process has to be followed before the wage increase can be implemented, adding that the increase will not only affect the arms of government, but also the private sector. "If it was salary increase I don't think we will be discussing this matter, but this is minimum wage; because it is minimum wage it has to pass through all the sections of government as specified by law. It must go to the national assembly because the law must be made and the minimum wage does not affect only government employees and that is what Nigerians should know. Assuming federal, states and local government can pay, what of the private people who employ? Every employer of labour is affected, so if we now just go and impose a minimum wage on all Nigerians without due consultation, do you think small and medium scale enterprises can all meet up?"
Please save us this goodluck speech and address the problem. The fat salaries by The National assembly members, as well as the past presidents are enjoying benefit of the national treasury, even after filling their pockets. The fact is that Nigerian Politics is lucrative and politicians have turned themselves into instant millionaires just for being members of the National Assembly, paying themselves huge and unjustified salaries and allowances not commensurate with their very low productivity and without doing anything worthwhile for the country. My question is this: Do we have Legislators or “Legis-looters”, Executives members of the national assembly or “Execu-thieves”?
It is no wonder that Nigerians are yet to see the dividends of democracy. For the past 11 years democracy is still crawling because we have high class men as leaders and not servants. If nothing is done quickly to stem this looting surge, it may come to a time that there will be no money to run the government beyond paying the swollen salaries and allowances (looting in disguise) of our public office holders. Yes, some will say there is “Oil”, but remember “a talents that is not well appreciated and used well” will died a natural death.
Let us pause for a while and think of what these huge sums of money used in paying opportunists and never-do-well politicians can do if diverted to building power plants to rescue us from our power problem, fortifying our security system, funding railway and road construction, funding education, reviving agriculture, funding hospitals and dispensaries, developing the Niger Delta and even paying salaries of teachers and the pension entitlements of our pensioners.
In my own view this whole idea of warning the government about strike action cannot dry the tears of the poor in this country. Sometimes, we need to ask ourselves some questions about the reasons for going on strike as masses and also look into the agenda of those who call out for a strike action because of low income, instead of us to sit back after promissory note from the government and watch the jobless individuals in the national assembly without any iota of shame to silently increase their own salaries, for legislating nothing. There are numerous bills yet to face first readings that affect some Unions, if not all, yet we want to demonstrate our madness by calling for a strike on a matter where there is no argument. We should cry out over the waste, over the thievery, cheating and injustice under the guise of democracy.
It is a great injustice, because one cannot comprehend that for the House of Representatives, there are 360 of these parasites. Each gets 36 Million per quarter, which translates to 144 million per year per Member. The calculation of their drain on the Nigerian treasury is 360 X 144 million Naira X 4 years = 207,360,000,000 or 207 Billion Naira. Each member of the House of Representatives will take home 576 Million Naira after 4 years, laughing all the way to the banks. If this is the fate of a mere parasite what will be that of the virus (Senators).
Whatever it is, Nigeria cannot sustain or afford this waste, what I will say is: If the poor cannot lead, let them share in the riches of the nation, let the minimum wage be implemented to save our economy.
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