CIVIL SOCIETY AND CIVIL OBEDIENCE.

  

“I pledge to Nigeria my country, to be faithful, loyal and honest…” The opening words of the Nigerian national pledge, is one that seems to ‘subtlety and freely’ demand obedience from its people. The citizen, out of freedom, pledges to obey. Stemming from Socrates, Aristotle, down to all social contract theorists, the concept of civil-obedience, is something that is required as a payback which the government gets in return of its protection of life and property of the people. Society, has come to stay as a result of search for order in human chaotic nature hence, it is a creation of man. Civility, equality, respect, common good, criticism, all ought to be the features of a civil society, thus it should be conceived as a sphere of solidarity and subsidiarity, in which a certain kind of universalizing community comes gradually to be defined and to a certain degree, enforced. It ought to thrive on public opinion, possessing its own cultural codes, in a democratic idiom. Patterned by a set of peculiar institutions. 

THE IDEAL AND THE COMPROMISE

A question that has kept boggling my mind for some time now, reads: are there rigid ways to finding God? Are there spelt-out paths to finding peace of mind and consequently eternal life? Very vehemently, I would like to answer in the negative. An emphatic NO. In the gospel of John, Christ conspicuously states: I am the way, the truth and the life. Have we ever asked: what way, what truth, what kind of life? In answering these questions, Christ himself states quite clearly; I am the only one way that leads to the father. From all pointers, he is the way that leads to the truth and life which is God. What we have endeavoured to clarify so far is that Christ is a way. What way? The true and enduring way that leads to God the Father. Consequently, he is the Ideal. The ideal to God, to enduring peace. The question which remains unanswered therefore is: since there is no one way of getting to Christ as we have previously answered, from where Christ can then lead us to God, does the very notion of compromise exist in Christ. Put differently, given that the path-way from Christ to God the Father is one, namely Christ himself, does the road from man to Christ accommodate a truce?

Collins and His Mother - He loves us more than we love ourselves.

       

 The Love that Mother's bear towards their children is so strong that mothers, typically, can do anything to see the child happy. So it happened that there is a boy named Collins. A boy of about 12 and the only child of the parents. He is used to enjoying the enormous generosity of the mother. He is of such confidence that he can get anything he wants from the mother because of the past experiences and the level of love which the mother shows him. 

LOVE GOD AND DO WHATEVER YOU PLEASE - ST AUGUSTINE

    St. Augustine once said "Love God and do whatever you please". This statement seems to be confusing because one will wonder, can one be justified if one loves God and still live a life not worthy of a child of God? Can we say that all that is needed to be holy is simply to love God? Yet this seems to be what St. Augustine is implying. Does it mean that if I love God, then I can fornicate, lie, steal, kill, commit abortion and I am safe? To better understand this confusing statement, I think its better to understand what it means to Love God. 

St. Mary Magdalene - On my bed at night I sought the man whom my heart loves: I sought but could not find him!

    "Draw me in your footsteps, let us run. The king has brought me into his room; you will be our joy and our gladness. We shall praise your love more than wine; how right it is to love you." (Sgs. 1:4). Yes, how right it is to love you with an everlasting love, love the strongest force in the world. Anyone who does not yet understand love may be surprised at the actions carried out when possessed by its force. One will only need to pass through the road of true love to be able to understand what is inside. True love of which the author of Song of songs cried out "Love no flood can quench, no torrent drown. Were a man to offer all his family wealth to buy love, contempt is all that he would gain" (Sgs. 8:7) and in another place "Beloved set me as a seal on your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is strong as death. (Sgs. 8:6). It was this love that captured the heart of the repentant sinner: St. Mary Magdalene.