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Vocationews VOL. 5
NO. 2
THE TIME HAS
COME
(By Rev. Fr. Emma Chikezie)
Plight of an
orphan .....what is
it like? Albeit
sometimes it is
quite inexpressible, or
even indiscernible. However,
the Dictionary provides
an open sesame
to coming to
terms with a
typical orphan’s world.
That word “orphan” itself directs our
minds to “a
child deprived by
death of one
or both parents.”
The condition smacks
of utter neglect,
helplessness, carelessness, and
irresponsibility. There is
then the dire
need of interweaving
and clothing the
victim with charity,
care and protection.
Friend, do you
care to help
out? Well then,
let us face
the crux of
the matter.
The above picture
can, perhaps, get
us out of
the wood. Take it as
a reasonable analogy,
if you like.
Our society is
orphaned; so orphaned
that basic responsible
sentiments of charity,
care, protection, patriotism
and all, would be
the only solvable
measures. We ought to
unite then and
harken to this
passionate call for
moral and soul-searching emergency.
The society is
already submerging fast
into immoral mess
and quagmire. Effervescence
best describes the
steam that is
right before our
very eyes. No
matter the condition and
state of affairs,
all hopes are
not dashed. This seemingly
bleak future can
be brightened now
or never. Yes.
That hour when
all hands must
be on deck.
Like the ancient
Greeks who were
among the first
people to exchange diplomatic representative, the
task at hand
requires the services
of a diplomat.
And we all
qualify in our different
capacities. Believe me.
Every clergy; nay
all members of
the society must play
the part Putting heads together will
proffer lasting solutions..
applauding
and cheering great
men; quoting them endlessly
and putting up
their cenotaphs; paying
frequent visits to
the museum; erecting
monuments, and firing
cannons of a worthy
Ambassador-extraordinary and plenipotentiary. In
assigning duties hereby,
we sincerely pull
down the discriminatory walls that
breed hatred and
animosity. John Ruskin
solved it in
a sentence: “There
are many religions,
but there is
only one morality”. Pastors, Religious
and all Christians
particularly, in whatever
field and capacity
must brace up
to the challenges
of the apostolate.
The anti-social vices
to wrestle are
endless: high-class corruption,
bribery, abortion, nepotism,
God-Fatherism, religious fanaticism
and intolerance, cheating,
and forgery(Advance Fee
Fraud a.k.a ‘419’),
expensive tricks, irresponsibility, armed
robbery, sexual promiscuity,
election rigging, thuggery,
secret cultism, etc.
What is our
own contribution? Is
it spending time Meanwhile, there
is an urgent
homework for you
and me. It
is neither one
of those that
cause nightmares nor
occasion instant growth
of grey hairs.
It will not
even take you
to the scientific
laboratory. It involves
the following: simply
dusting our previous
piles of textbooks,
handouts, and notebooks;
entering the lumber
room of history;
gleaning from important
documents those praise - worthy ideals
that make the
“past” remain an
indelible term of
reference.
Saturday, March
25, 1995 was an extremely
busy day for
the Rev. Fathers,
Staff, Students and
parents of Annunciation
Seminary, Amaudara. That
very day, which
liturgically coincided with
the solemnity of
the Lord, marked
the 10th anniversary
of our diocesan
seminary’s existence since
inception in 1985.
In normal human
circles, a child
of ten must
have attained the
age of reason.
Furthermore, such a
child may have
been able to
show obvious signs
of maturity, pending
puberty. Amaudara is
indeed of age.
(REV. FR.
GAB. EZE)
From April 2nd - 9th,
the lay faithful
and Pastors of
Christ the King
Diocese Aba, gathered
around their Chief
Shepherd to deliberate
on how best
to realise the
nostalgic dreams of the
Special Assembly for
Africa, held in
Rome barely one
year now, with
its theme as:
Evangelisation by the
Year 2000: Whither
Africa? This Seminar
was held on
a diocesan status
at St. Eugene’s
Catholic Church, Eziukwu
Aba. Six Papers
were presented. And
all of them
boarded making Jesus
Christ a house - hold
name before or
by the year
2000. Fr. Solomon
Udoka Ezenibe (a Priest
of the diocese,
and a lecturer
at the University
of Calabar) began
the brain-storming Seminar
with his paper
on “Social means
of communication.” He
used his most
recent Publication “Mass
Communication as a
Social Process” at
length in harnessing
and exposing eloquently
the important role
of the Social
Communications system or
media. This will
enhance making Christ
a house-hold name,
nay, a name
in every tongue;
a member of
every family and
an indigene of
every culture.
Citing the
text of the
Lineamenta, Fr. stressed
that Christ or
Christianity is not
of those new
things that is
happening to us
of late. “Remember
Christ lived in
Egypt,” he said.
(The much we
need do is
use our far-reaching
communications system in
reminding our people
of that our
‘brother’ whose memory
is beginning to
grow dim amongst
us) Fr stressed
that it is
no longer enough
to proclaim the
good news only from
the pulpit. Christians
are urged to
adopt other means
of social communications available
in our society,
such as the
Press, the Radio
and the Television,
to proclaim the
goodnews. Means like
drama, Sculpture carving,
Music, Dance, Story,
Riddle, etc, can
be profitably used
to announce Jesus
Christ... The second day saw
Rev. Fr. Jerome
Madueke (a priest of
Awka diocese and
the Chaplain of
Retreat-Pastoral Centre, Okpuno,
on the rostrum
doing justice to
the topic: “The
Role of the
Laity in Evangelisation.” Defining Evangelisation as the
whole process by
which an individual
is led to
know Jesus Christ,
the child of
God, accepts him
as his Lord
and Saviour, commits
his life to
him, and lives
the new life
he gives in
Spirit, in the
service of his Church. Fr.
enumerated the role
of the lay
faithful thus: “Members of
the lay faithful
are called, therefore,
to take a
full and active
part in the
mission of the
Church to evangelize.
Christians by Baptism,
share in Christ’s
three-fold ministry of
Priest, Prophet - Teacher and
King. Making recourse
to the Holy
Father’s Christi fideles Laici
( CFL 14: IL 34) of
1988, he states
that the lay
faithful are given
the ability and
responsibility to accept
the Gospel in
faith; to proclaim
it in word
and deed; and
to identify and
denounce evil. Fr.
Madueke decried a
situation (like ours)
whereby lay people
still look upon
themselves as people
who sit at
the pews to
hear fascinating homilies
from their priest;
contribute to support
him; kneel to
receive communion and
blessings; and afterwards
do no more
in their homes
and places of
work. On the
third day, Rev.
Fr. Dr. Oliver O. Onwubiko (a lecturer
Bigard Memorial Seminary,
Enugu and die-hard
proponent of inculturation) thrilled
the audience on
the topic: “Inculturation.” He
eloquently convinced the
audience in believing
that inculturation is foreign to
the English, but
the brain child
of the Roman
Church. He defined
inculturation as the
deep-rooting of the
gospel, so much
that we get
involved with less
effort. Christ for
him is the
father of inculturation. He
used what was
common to the
people, like their
language (Aramaic) to
drive his teachings
home to his
audience. Fr. Onwubiko asks
us to emulate
and even better
the intellectual inculturation
of the first
Missionaries who arrived
the shores of
the Niger. These
missionaries he said,
discovered from their
dealing with the
people that fresh
fish (Azu ndu)
meant all for
them, and so
gave them their
first moral book
entitled “Azu Ndu”.
They presented Christ
and the message
of the Gospel
as real “Azu
Ndu” urging them
to feel as
happly as the
fisher who catches
“Azu Ndu” with
the Gospel that
is now theirs. Fr.
insists that Christ
must necessarily be
at the centre
of every inculturation. Having talked
at length on
inculturating the Gospel
message in our
culture, Rev. Fr.
Dr. Innocent Osuagwu
(a staff of
Seat of Wisdom,
Owerri) highlighted to
the joy of
the audience, those
values inherent in
our culture should
be invoked, if
inculturation in the
sense Fr. Onwubiko
has presented it
will be realized.. Fr. Osuagwu
sincerely believe that
for Christ and
the christian message
to be properly
understood Christ must
be painted and
presented black. Moreso,
the wonderful values
imbued in him
should be exposed
in the language
of the people.
He further stressed
that painting and
presenting Christ white
makes him far - removed
and a mere
mental construct for
the blacks. Our evangelisation, nay
inculturation would hit
the rocks if
our atmosphere is
devoid of two
basic ingredients: Justice
and Peace. On
the fourth day
of the Seminar,
an erudite scholar
of repute, Rev.
Fr. Dr. V.
Ifeanyi (a lecturer
at Seat of
Wisdom Seminary), mounted
the rostrum and
audience on the
topic: Justice and
Peace.. Justice, he said,
has two branches:
The first is
giving one what
is his; while
the second is
depriving one what
one deserves. He defined
Peace as tranquility,
good neighbourliness, absene
of conflict, orderliness,
and according everything
its appropriate place.
Fr. regretted so
much that these
two starling qualities
are most lacking
in the Nigerian
society. He X-rayed
and extolled the
role of the
Roman Church down
through the ages
in furthering justice
and peace. In
Rome, the Church
has an office charged
with matters relating
to justice and peace.
This office in
Rome has branches
world over and
in every diocese.
“In 1971,” Fr.
recalled,” the Church
further demonstrated her
interest in making
the world a
Kingdom of Justice
and Peace, by
assembling a synod
to discuss Justice
and Peace. This
synod particularly explained
the role of
the laity in
achieving these two
striking virtues. Fr. Ifeanyi
blamed the troubles
in our world
on greediness, while
asking the audience
to “Let their lives
be a little
candle in our
world of darkness. The
last paper of
the Seminar, titled
“Dialogue” was presented
by Rev. Fr.
Dr. Kenneth John
Anyanwu of the
Catholic Institute of
West Africa (C. I. W. A.)
Port
Harcourt.Fr. Anyanwu, citing
the Prophecy of
Isaiah (1: 6 - 18 ), informed
the audience that
dialogue is as old
as creation itself.
And that it
was the creator
of all things
who initiated it.
He defined dialogue
as “an encounter
in which we
seek enter the
others point of
view, experience, thereby
understanding his / her behaviour and
values.