"life is not a bed of roses" is a popular adage. But, is this really true? What of those born with silver spoons; those whose future have been planned out; those who are born into, so to say, perfect families? For these few, life is but a bed of roses.
However, we know that roses have thorns in them and these are integral parts of roses.
THE SCIENCE OF GENETIC ENGINEERING
With the novel accomplishments in the world of medical science, and its overbearing claim to even break new grounds as regards man’s natural make-up, a pertinent question to ponder on is; can science achieve a world without diseases and disabilities? Within the parlance of Human Genome Project, science purports to possess what it takes to “prevent or reduce the prevalence of disease caused in significant part by deleterious genes, (Dan Brock, Genetic Engineering).
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Among the most loved saints of The Holy Roman Catholic Church, St. Pio of Pietrelcina is popular. His popularity did not begin when he was canonized but rather during his life time: the convent of San Giovanni Rotondo where he lived and died continues to be flooded with lots of visitors and devotees. Indeed, he is a reflection of the power of God's gratuitous graces.
25th Tuesday in ordinary time
“ My mother and brethren are those who hear the word of God and do it”
A preacher once said that “SIN” simply means “Simple Instruction(s) Neglected”.
Adam was instructed not to eat of a particular tree, He did eat of it and incurred the wrath of God. More so, all those who neglected God’s instructions ( according to Bible narratives) especially those instructions that He "particularly spelt out" incur His wrath. And those who kept His words despite the possible challenges that came with it (like the Blessed Virgin Mary) were blessed. To know the right thing is one thing, to do the right thing is another. Hence, knowledge is power when it is exercised. A dormant knowledge that is neither shared and not implemented is as useless as grain seeds abandoned in a store for moth and beetle to eat away at them. They are neither planted to regenerate nor processed to serve human needs.
THE FACADE IN RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP.
Man, as the popular saying goes, is an arena of infinite possibilities. Man, in order to find answers to the infinite number of questions that divides his attention, seeks to enter into various relationships with the world, springing from social, economic, political, environmental and of course the climax of this interrelatedness, the religious. John Mbiti, in his seminal work: African Religions and Philosophy, highlighted that deep within the human heart is the conception of a divine. No one needs to be taught that.
24th Friday in ordinary time. (Luke 8:1-3)
“These were the women who provided for them out of their means”
“Can a celibate have friends of the opposite sex?”
A certain priest became notorious for driving down to the brothel in the afternoon and spending some time there on a weekly basis. The parish Council couldn’t bear it anymore so they approached him, because he not only scandalised parishioners, but also gave their Christian brethren from other churches a reason to ridicule them. For crying out loud, what business does the priest have in a brothel? Well the truth was the priest encountered this lady (a prostitute) in the confessional and though she was sorry for her way of life, she was reluctant to let go, nor would she come anywhere around the church unless for confessions once in a while. Thus, the priest took it upon himself to help her turn a new leave, so he visited her on a weekly basis.
What comes to your mind when you see a celibate with a friend of the opposite sex, if the prostitute lady, eventually starts coming to church, and she’s sighted with the priest standing and discussing after mass, or worse, the priest decides to drive her home, what will the many who don’t know the whole story think?
HEGEL AND HUMAN RECONCILIATION
The struggle to live together as human from diverse walks of life and origins, has never ceased to occupy the keen interest of men and beasts alike. The pages of scripture redound with attempts to put a seeming glue into the various divides of human species, to see how people, only because they breathe in and breathe out same components of air can live together without being at each other’s throats always. But very interestingly, beyond scriptures, thinkers of all eras have taken to heart the salience of such endeavour. So that both theists and atheists alike, at least converge on this point. And the rational conclusion that both worlds (religion and philosophy), have arrived at is that, the battle for reconciliation must begin from the self; the individual human heart. The war must be fought within.
SUFFERING; THE ALLOTTED PORTION OF LOVERS
An elderly priest was once asked what would happen if a priest falls in love, he kept quiet for sometime and replied saying, "he will suffer, that is the portion of lovers". Can we say that this statement has some elements of truth in it. Even though love is a sweet thing, everyone wants to love and to be loved, we always seek to be cared for and in fact, we desire to care too for those we love because seeing our loved ones happy gives us its own special kind joy. Nevertheless, experience has taught us that to love is to suffer. The afflictions of our loved ones pains us, the worries that troubles them troubles us. In fact, even in our own pains and worries, sometimes we feel pained knowing the pains our loved ones will undergo when they discover our afflictions.
23rd Friday in Ordinary Time. ( Luke 6:39-42)
Can a blind man lead a blind man?
Christ was aggrieved at the fact that we humans are easily disposed at condemning others without evaluating our own life. We don’t condemn publicly what we do privately but we even go as far as condemning people who are better than we are for the slight mistakes or misdeeds they commit.
8th of September
Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary" ( Matt 1:1-16, 18-23).
“That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit”.
“The Long Awaited.”
After The fall of the first man Adam, of which the first woman Eve was instrumental (according to creation story) by Her sharing the forbidden fruit she plucked from the tree of knowledge of life and death (Gen:2:15) as deceived by the serpent (Gen 3: 1-4) with Adam, which dammed humanity to death, God planned in the Fullness of time to restore all things in “Christ the new Adam" necessarily on a forbidden tree “the cross". Forbidden because it brought damnation and shameful death to whoever it was conferred on as a result of a grievous atrocity.
“When the bride groom is taken from them, they will fast.”
Are you kidding me, Did Christ who always prayed and taught His disciples to do so just defend them for not offering prayers and fasting like the disciples of the Pharisees? Of course not. Rather He’s bringing our attention to the importance of being sensitive to the demands of the present time we find ourselves in.
22nd
Tuesday in ordinary time: Luke 4:31-37.
“I
know who you are, the Holy one of God"...
This was an exclamation from a demon. Well why? Maybe because though it was manipulating a human body, the demon is a spirit, that moves in spirit and can perceive a spirit. And Christ as God is a spirit though he was made incarnate in human form. As a human now, if my mother and another lady were discussing in another room, I’ll be able to differentiate which voice is my mother’s because I have lived and communicated so often with her that I don’t just know her voice but can understand the message in her silent gaze. I could spot her out by her steps even if there are many women coming from a distance that I can’t see their faces, and even certify her reported spoken words if it contained her preferred clichés for example if she likes putting ‘am telling you’ or ‘nawa oh' in-between her words. Same applies to other members of my family and close friends.
Benedict XVI, born Joseph Ratzinger, was a man of deep faith and unwavering conviction. He was a man who dedicated his life to the Catholic ...
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