The Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Most Rev. Prof. Godfrey Igwebuike Onah, has referred to that Nigeria needs Justice, fairness and decent governance to surmount her challenges. He stated Christians in Nigeria, above all Catholic devoted, must show the Christian virtue of selfless service to humanity and steer clear of vigour tussle which he spoke of is surroundings the americans apart.
The Catholic prelate, who decried what he described as a partial constitution drafted to favour a undeniable a part of the country, also pointed out that the "Islamization and "Fulanization" project has long gone past being a hidden agenda, for it is now being implemented overtly and with impunity."
Bishop Onah gave the remark throughout a Homily preached at the Silver Jubilee Thanksgiving Mass of Most Rev. Anthony John Valentine Chiedozie Obinna, Archbishop of Owerri, at Maria Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri on Thursday fifth September 2019.
in line with him, Archbishop of Owerri has been in the forefront of preaching towards injustice and bad governance in the nation.
He noted despite the fact the Christian bishops have never did not reply to the name by the individuals to at all times speak up against injustice and bad governance, but the americans themselves have to equally exhibit selfless provider to humanity just as Jesus enjoined all Christians to at all times do.
He mentioned Archbishop Obinna at all times stands on truth and additionally preaches actuality, equity and justice despite persecutions.
based on him, "Archbishop Obinna makes use of every skill at his disposal to proclaim the liberating truth of the Gospel – (welcome or unwelcome) in season and out of season, reproving, rebuking and encouraging his brothers and sisters, always with persistence and sound instructing (cf. 2 Tim 4: 2). He has been heckled and stressed even within the Church while at the service of the reality for the benefit of God's americans."
beneath is the complete homily:
"The kings of the Gentiles pastime lordship over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. but not so with you; rather, let the most beneficial amongst you become as the youngest, and the chief as one who serves… i am amongst you as one who serves" (Lk 22: 25-26)
My pricey pals in Christ,
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these days we be part of the Bishops, the Clergy, the participants of Institutes of Consecrated lifestyles and the Laity of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province in giving because of God for his many blessings in the past 25 years due to the fact that the introduction of the Province.
Understandably, the thanksgiving celebrations have been planned in levels, so as to supply us time to pause awhile and examine the a considerable number of dimensions of the outstanding things the Lord has done for and in his individuals during this quarter of a century.
today, our consideration is concentrated on the blessings we have got in and through the grownup, the existence and the ministry of our Archbishop and the Metropolitan of Owerri Province, Archbishop Anthony John Valentine Chiedozie Obinna.
Our thanksgiving reflection these days, guided by means of the notice of God that has simply been proclaimed to us, intends to be a simple reminder that the Bishop, like every Priest and Deacon, is ordained to serve; it equally intends to ask each person to thank God for the a variety of ways wherein Archbishop Obinna has clearly tried all these years to steer the people of God through provider.
however we on occasion sing the "Ecce sacerdos magnus" for dwelling and serving Bishops (the hymn turned into at the beginning the introit for the Mass of pastors and confessors who are already saints), considering that the text is during the past stressful, it could seem to be that the suitable time to sing it would be after the loss of life of the Bishop. For it is barely then that it will also be affirmed that "in his days he (did what) turned into desirable to God" ("onye mere ihe na-aso Chineke mgbe o na-achi").
Our prayer is that folks that should be there when the dead physique of Archbishop Anthony Obinna may be lying earlier than the altar will then be able to sing "Ecce sarcedos magus" with a transparent judgment of right and wrong, as did the homilist on the funeral of the Servant of God, Bishop Michael Ugwuja Eneja.
searching at the life of nearly all of Christians down during the a while, one is often left to wonder how severely we take our personal religion. If one were to summarize in a number of phrases what Christianity is all about, one might say that it's a means of life characterized through love, which is expressed through self-sacrificing service of neighbour.
in contrast to the other non secular leaders of his time, our Lord Jesus Christ taught and verified that actual worship of God doesn't consist in holding a group of guidelines or performing determinate ritual actions, however somewhat in loving God and neighbour, to the element of giving one's lifestyles for one's friends – "as the Father has loved me, so I actually have cherished you. continue to be in my love… better love has nobody than this that one gives one's lifestyles for one's friends" (Jn 15: 9-13). all the teachings and actions of the Church are supposed to make people embrace this culture and reside it out in motion.
it's for this reason unhappy to notice that one of the most Church's administrative and pastoral movements, which are meant to carry Christ's Gospel of affection nearer to the individuals, just like the introduction of recent Ecclesiastical Provinces, Dioceses and Parishes, as smartly as the appointment of Bishops and Parish monks, often end up to develop into reasons of fight, quarrel, intrigues, slander, divisions and "genetically transmitted" resentment. On a Jubilee day like this, we've a sacred responsibility of asking ourselves why here is so.
What have we as Christians finished with positions of management, whether within the Church or in the larger society, that has made individuals neglect that such positions are for provider? What physique language, what method of leadership, from Bishops has lead individuals now to talk of "struggling for the bishopric" or some priests positioning or posturing to be made bishops (in spite of the fact that this is a futile exercise)?
What have we executed with our positions of carrier that now makes even members of the Institutes of Consecrated existence (religious clergymen, Sisters and Brothers) combat and manoeuvre to be made Superiors common? individuals rarely combat to serve.
The battle is constantly for energy and personal gain. it is my opinion that people who fight and crusade to be made heads of the quite a few our bodies within the Church (clerical or lay) should under no circumstances get it, as a result of obviously, such folks are not in search of the positions to be able to serve however for every other personal or egocentric factors.
Christians have carried the equal perspective over to public existence. what number of of our public servants are in fact servants in the actual feel of the be aware – including the Christians in public service? Are our civil servants truly serving us in public offices? now not minding that minister is simply the Latin observe for servant, how many of our ministers in reality see themselves and act as servants – including the Christians among them? "The leader amongst you have to be the one who serves."
The late Umaru Musa Yar'Adua appeared on the Nigerian management horizon like a meteor. When at his inauguration because the 13th President of Nigeria he promised to be a servant-leader, Nigerians have been ecstatic and immediately fell in love with the man. It become as if he had delivered an idea on no account heard of in Nigeria. Yet, more than half of Nigeria's population is Christian.
Had Nigerian Christians under no circumstances study this passage from these days's Gospel before Yar'Adua? «The kings of the Gentiles endeavor lordship over them; and people in authority over them are known as benefactors. however not so with you; rather let the most suitable among you become because the youngest, and the leader as one who serves… i am amongst you as one who serves» (Lk 22: 25-26).
Of direction that they had. but in all probability they on no account concept it applied to them, nor did they see it lived out by using different Christians in management positions. When for this reason we Christians pay simplest lip service to our personal values, their adoption via others, or via the secular society, problem us to self-examination and personal as well as collective conversion.
As Msgr. Theophilus Okere once observed, the riding concepts of the French Revolution and Communism, particularly, justice, freedom, equality and established brotherhood, are all core Christian values, which Christianity by hook or by crook failed to safely put into effect. for that reason he affirms: «It took the French Revolution and its philosophers to get society as society, severe once more on these values, preached for a long time with out impact by using Christianity. [And] it took the rude shock of Karl Marx's atheistic materialism to force the attention of the world on the crying want of justice for all.
although each movements "failed", that failure is fairly an indictment of the one, moral force fitted and mandated to effect these classes on earth». here is food for concept on our trend of management these days. If our people are surprised and excited when they see a frontrunner who's a servant, then we have factors to ask ourselves questions about our own vogue of leadership.
Let it's noted that leading through service of neighbour is neither effortless nor a means of existence that can also be adopted in a once-and-for-all method. No. it's reasonably a painful existence-lengthy process, this is realized handiest by means of kneeling on the foot of the go, taking into account the victimhood of Christ's priesthood.
The context of the dispute among the many Apostles within the Gospel reading of nowadays was the remaining Supper, the first Eucharistic party, and extremely close to the passion and death of our Lord. The Apostles had just received the body and Blood of Christ for the primary time and Jesus had simply informed them that he became about to suffer and to die. and that they began disputing among themselves over which of them became to be considered as the finest.
In this type of solemn and sad situation, by which one would have expected them to be involved over the form of their grasp, they have been fairly struggling for positions of energy and significance. What an embarrassment! What a shameful issue for these most intimate friends of the master! What a patient Lord and grasp we now have! rather than express his disappointment at the behaviour of his chums, he patiently taught them that their greatness should be in carrier.
It was now not handy for the Apostles to study and practise this. It aren't effortless either for the successors of the Apostles or for any other Christian. When for this reason we word that many people in management positions are not servants of the individuals, we should recognise that we're simplest earthen vessels preserving divine treasure. That in spite of the fact that, we should maintain making an attempt to be trained and internalize this principle; for devoid of diakonia, our priesthood loses its very essence. devoid of the diaconate, we can not be both priests or Bishops.
considering that leadership via carrier is not handy to find, we now have first rate explanations to have fun and to thank God once we find an excellent specimen of it. Ordained Bishop 4 September 1993 (26 years ago on the age of 47) and appointed Archbishop simplest 6 months later (whereas he was nonetheless attempting to figure out what being a Bishop meant, Amarachi Obinna chose for his episcopal motto: "To serve God and His individuals."
before his episcopal ordination, Fr. Anthony Obinna was wholly immersed, after a radical really good training, in the diakonia of the fact as a lecturer at the Alvan Ikoku school of training, Owerri. There he become engaged within the carrier of divine truth: seeking it, loving it, embracing it and bringing it to others through education. This, says Pope St John Paul II is a special carrier to humanity (Fides et ratio, 2).
And seeing that his elevation to the episcopal workplace, his dedication to this carrier has intensified to the aspect of fitting a consuming passion. Anthony Obinna is in love with the reality and seeks it diligently invariably, through prayer, meditation and examine. yes, he is a man of prayer ("a call for prayer: will we say the Rosary?"), a professional intellectual and an avid reader with a apparently insatiable thirst for expertise. This prepares him in effectively for the particular carrier of teaching the americans of God and of proclaiming the fact as a prophet. here's highly mandatory in Nigeria at this second.
nowadays, Nigerians expect so much of their Bishops. within the darkness and gloom which have enveloped our country, many are searching with a bit of luck at the Church for a ray of hope, although faint. no matter if it's in regards to the perceived Islamization and "Fulanization" of the nation, or in regards to the present effort of the Federal executive to stifle each type of opposition, americans are asking: what is the Church doing? And by way of the Church they quite simply suggest Catholic Bishops. but I ask: What else can the Bishops do this they haven't accomplished already?
The Bishops have prayed and proceed to pray for Nigeria. The Bishops have spoken evidently and at all times towards bad governance, from the time of military dictatorship, when the voice of the Church was the only one that couldn't be silenced, until today, when military dictatorship has back in another form.
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The Bishops have expressly pointed out that this country is in drawback. The Bishops have informed the executive repeatedly that the most effective means out of the catastrophe that is ready to take place in this country is justice and fairness: recognize for these parts of the constitution that are only and reasonable; change of those elements of the charter that had been so framed as to favour components of the nation, both geographically or religiously.
This nation is experiencing deterioration on an everyday groundwork and our individuals are losing self belief in themselves. there is a decay of infrastructure and near complete give way of security. All this have been stated through the Catholic Bishops on a few occasions. What have the Bishops no longer said? on the height of insecurity during this country the Bishops candidly informed the President to resign, considering that he may not give insurance policy for the lives and property of Nigerians. repeatedly the Bishops have engaged each President of this country.
however what about our Christians, together with our Catholics, who're in executive? There are card-carrying Catholics in all of the political events that have dominated Nigeria considering the fact that the return to democracy. What have these Catholic or Christian members of the ruling events accomplished to translate into concrete motion the signals that the Bishops have given? Bishops have marched the streets in prayer and protest. Bishops have taken the executive to court in some States.
The handiest thing that we have not carried out and will on no account do is to incite our people to violence, as a result of that could be incorrect. The Federal govt of Nigeria must understand that our youths are dropping confidence in the peaceful and nonviolent method we're proposing. and that i would want to state certainly today, out of respect for Archbishop Anthony Obinna who has been optimum in talking out in defence of decent governance each in his State and within the nation, that the present Federal executive of Nigeria will hang itself dependable if it refuses to take heed to the voice of cause and the calamity all of us fear befalls our expensive nation.
The Islamization and "Fulanization" project has gone past being a hidden agenda, for it's now being carried out overtly and with impunity. however then there's a limit to the extent to which the people can be oppressed without their reacting to the oppression. We therefore enchantment to all these in executive at distinctive levels in this nation to bear in mind that they are there to serve all the individuals of Nigeria.
To our Christians i would say what I have observed repeatedly in different events, that a Christian americans can not be Islamized, unless it has first been de-Christianized. And we are actually de-Christianizing Nigerian Christians and even Christianity itself with the aid of the effortless, self-made or customized form of Christianity this is now very frequent in Nigeria; a Christianity devoid of the cross, suffering and service. we are also de-Christianizing Christianity with the aid of the advertising of fetishism and neo-paganism in the name of tradition.
United with and configured to his Lord and master, Jesus Christ, whom God anointed with the Holy Spirit and vigor (Acts 10: 36), Archbishop Obinna uses each ability at his disposal to proclaim the liberating truth of the Gospel – (welcome or unwelcome) in season and out of season, reproving, rebuking and encouraging his brothers and sisters, all the time with endurance and sound teaching (cf. 2 Tim four: 2). He has been heckled and pressured even in the Church whereas at the carrier of the fact for the improvement of God's americans;
persecuted and prosecuted (even by means of possibly cradle Catholics) for condemning the anti-Christian and antihuman social evil of the osu (and ohu) caste equipment in Igboland; dubbed a partisan flesh presser for defending the correct of the americans to first rate governance; labelled a tribalist (even through some colleagues) for underscoring the significance of language within the promoting and evangelization of a individuals's tradition. It convenient to imagine him at some moments like St Paul: «pressed on both sides, but now not overwhelmed, confused but not driven to despair, persecuted but no longer deserted, bowed however not damaged» (2 Cor four: 8-9).
but, Amarachi, you can't give up at this aspect. It is just too late. you may lose your identification. Anaghi amu aka ekpe na nka. Like St Martin Bishop of tours that you could only pray as a consequence: «Lord, if i am still necessary by using your people, i cannot refuse to serve. Your may be performed». (Lee m Dinwenu; ekwuputagom ikpe nkwumoto Gi). yes, his people and YOUR americans still need you.
They nonetheless want your perceptive and discerning mind; they still need your clear and irrepressible prophetic voice. We know that it isn't just years however the weight of responsibility that has shrivelled your charming face, bent your stylish body and shaven your head devoid of water.
however you should plod on! For the Spirit of the Lord God is upon YOU, since the Lord has anointed YOU to bring first rate tidings to afflicted Nigerian individuals; he has sent YOU to bind the damaged hearted and disenchanted Igbo youths, to proclaim Christ's liberty to the captives of depraved ancestral and cultural beliefs and practices and the opening of the detention center to those Christians who're bound via their false beliefs; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour to these in positions of authority who make a difference via carrier-leadership, and for those who persist in causing Nigeria and Nigerians extra misery, even whereas devoutly announcing the "Prayer for Nigeria in misery" – the day of vengeance of our God.
without forgetting the different styles of service that you ought to render to God and his individuals, never relent in your diakonia of the actuality. and might God who began this respectable work in you convey it to completion, in order that at the end, when he calls you to himself, your people can sing devoid of contradiction: "Ecce sacerdos magnus, qui in diebus sui, placuit Deo." advert multos annos!"
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