Cardinal Anthony Okogie is known for his frank opinions on pressing national issues.
The Emeritus Archbishop of Lagos, Cardinal Anthony Okogie, has called on President Buhari to act fast and save the lives of Nigerians, who he said are hungry.
Okogie also urged the President to fulfil the promises he made to Nigerians when he was campaigning.
“Nigerians
are waiting for you to fulfill the promises you made during the
campaign. They voted you into office because of those promises. The
introduction of town hall meetings is a commendable idea. But in
practice, you, not just your ministers, must converse with Nigerians.
You are the President. You must be accountable to them. The buck stops
on your desk. Even if your administration has no magic wand at least
give some words of encouragement.”
Okogie also asked the President to implement the change agenda in truth, because “change is not real when old things that we ought to discard refuse to pass away.”
The Priest, who said this in an open letter to Buhari, said “Today,
cries of “hunger” could be heard across the length and breadth of our
vast country. Nigerians hunger, not only for food, but also for good
leadership, for peace, security and justice.”
He also said
“This letter is to appeal to you to do something fast, and, if you are
already doing something, to redouble your effort. May it not be written
on the pages of history that Nigerians die of starvation under your
watch.
“As President, you are the chief
servant of the nation. I therefore urge you to live up to the huge
expectation of millions of Nigerians. A stitch in time saves nine.”
Cardinal Okogie had earlier called on Buhari to seek the help of experts in order to revive Nigeria’s economy.
18 I am coming to gather every nation and every language. They will come to witness my glory. 19
I shall give them a sign and send some of their survivors to the
nations: to Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan, to the distant
coasts and islands that have never heard of me or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory to the nations, 20 and from all the nations they will
bring all your brothers as an offering to Yahweh, on horses, in
chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels, to my holy mountain,
Jerusalem, Yahweh says, like Israelites bringing offerings in clean vessels to Yahweh's house. 21 And some of them I shall make into priests and Levites, Yahweh says.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 117:1, 2
1 Alleluia! Praise Yahweh, all nations, extol him, all peoples, 2 for his faithful love is strong and his constancy never-ending.
Gospel, Luke 13:22-30
22 Through towns and villages he went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone said to him, 'Sir, will there be only a few saved?' He said to them, 24 'Try your hardest to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed. 25
'Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may
find yourself standing outside knocking on the door, saying, "Lord, open
to us," but he will answer, "I do not know where you come from." 26 Then you will start saying, "We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets," 27 but he will reply, "I do not know where you come from; away from me, all evil doers!" 28 'Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrown out. 29 And people from east and west, from north and south, will come and sit down at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 'Look, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.'
Reading 2, Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13
5 Have you forgotten that encouraging text in
which you are addressed as sons? My son, do not scorn correction from
the Lord, do not resent his training, 6 for the Lord trains those he loves, and chastises every son he accepts. 7 Perseverance is part of your training; God is treating you as his sons. Has there ever been any son whose father did not train him? 11 Of course, any discipline is at the time a matter for grief, not joy; but later, in those who have undergone it, it bears fruit in peace and uprightness. 12 So steady all weary hands and trembling knees 13 and make your crooked paths straight; then the injured limb will not be maimed, it will get better instead.
Mary said Yes to the invitation to participate in the communion
of God's love. She confronted her own fears and entered into a new way
of living; so must we
Mary's response reveals the meaning of life. We were made to give
ourselves away to the Lord who has given Himself to us - in a Holy
exchange. He comes and abides within us. Through Baptism we enter into a
new way of living in His Body, the Church. Living in that Church we are
called to continue His redemptive mission by giving ourselves in Him
for the sake of the world. An early father of the undivided Christian
Church, Gregory of Nyssa, once wrote - What came about in
bodily form in Mary, the fullness of the godhead shining through Christ
in the Blessed Virgin, takes place in a similar way in every soul that
has been made pure. The Lord does not come in bodily form, for 'we no
longer know Christ according to the flesh', but He dwells in us
spiritually and the father takes up His abode with Him, the Gospel tells
us. In this way the child Jesus is born in each of us.
The Assumption or Dormition of Mary. It is not just about
Mary. It is also about all of those who say Yes to Jesus Christ. We
will experience the fullness of redemption in the Resurrection of the
Body and life in the coming Kingdom.
CHESAPEAKE, VA (Catholic Online) - On August 15 in the Liturgical
Calendar of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church we celebrate the great
Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Orthodox
Christian brethren also acknowledge the same great Feast but refer to it
as the Dormition of the Mother of God.
Some join with us in the celebration on this calendar date. Others
follow the Julian calendar and commemorate it in a few days.
The
Feast is very ancient. It is also of profound importance - for reasons
which sometimes are not fully understood. This event is a part of the
naturally supernatural progression in the life of the Blessed Virgin of
Nazareth. Her Yes, her Fiat of surrendered love, brought heaven to
earth. She first responded to the invitation of God given through the
Angel. In our popular piety we refer to this event as the Annunciation,
the announcing of God's plan. (Luke 1:26-38)
That exercise of her
own human freedom forever changed all human history. She assented to be
the Mother of the Lord Jesus, the Savior of the whole world. It opened
her up to the glory of heaven. That glory not only came to dwell within
her, but she cooperated with grace throughout her whole life. That same
loving God who invited her response in the message of an Angel and
received her responses throughout her life, received her, body and soul,
into heaven.
Mary is thus meant to be the sign and promise of
the Church's future. She also provides the pattern of the Christian life
and vocation for all of us. All who will say yes to her beloved Son -
and live their lives in that kind of surrendered love - can bear Jesus
Christ for the world. They are joined with Mary now - and will join with
her in the fullness of that communion of love which she now enjoys in
eternity.
"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."
In those few words, all of human history was changed. As we make those
words our own, our own histories will begin to change as well. We are
invited to give our own assent of freedom to God's loving invitations of
grace.
The Angel proclaimed that Mary was full of grace,
filled with the very life and presence of God. She walked in a deep,
abiding and intimate relationship with God. He was with her before she
even responded to His invitation. God chose Mary, even before Mary chose
God. This order is vitally important.
Mary's Prayer, her Fiat (Latin, let it be done)
was a response to the visitation from the messenger of heaven, the
angel. It also provides a pattern of prayer for every Christian. It
unfolds into a life of praise, her 'Magnificat.' This canticle begins with the words in Latin 'Magnificat anima mea Dominum' ('My soul magnifies the Lord') and is the Gospel text for the Liturgy during the day on this Feast. (Luke 1:46-55).
The Fiat is more than a prayer and the Magnificat
more than a hymn of praise. Together they constitute a lesson book, a
guidebook, for how we can live our own lives. This lesson book is
desperately needed by contemporary Christians in an age characterized by
pride and arrogance, deluded by self-worship and imprisoned by the
idolatry it all produces.
The pattern of the life of Mary, the
first disciple of the Lord, reveals a trajectory of surrendered love. If
we embrace the mystery and meaning of Mary, we will find the meaning of
our own lives. We were created out of Love, in Love and for Love. As
the beloved disciple John, who stood with her at the Tree of the Cross,
reminds us in his first letter, "God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." (1 Jn 4:16)
Mary said Yes
to the invitation to participate in the communion of God's love. She
confronted her own fears and entered into a new way of living; so must
we. Christians use the word mystery in a manner quite different than the contemporary west perceives the word. Christian 'mysteries' are not puzzles to be solved, but gifts to be received, in faith.
The Greek word mysterion (later translated sacramentum
in Latin) is still the preferred word used for the Sacraments in the
Eastern Church, Orthodox and Catholic. They are mysteries of our faith.
It is in that light that Mary is also viewed as a mystery; she reveals
the very heart of that faith and its inner dynamic. She also teaches us
the meaning of our own lives. Like her, we are invited into communion
with the Trinitarian God, in and through Jesus Christ.She shows us the
way.
Mary lived a life of receiving and giving and giving and receiving. She has been called from the early centuries the God-bearer or Mother of God (which in Greek is Theo-tokos). She brought forth the Word of God. Her Fiat, her humble surrender, led to her Magnificat. Thus she becomes a prototype, showing us the vocation of every human person who says Yes to God's loving invitations of grace.
Mary's
response reveals the meaning of life. We were made to give ourselves
away to the Lord who has given Himself to us - in a Holy exchange. He
comes and abides within us. Through Baptism we enter into a new way of
living in His Body, the Church. Living in that Church we are called to
continue His redemptive mission by giving ourselves in Him for the sake
of the world. An early father of the undivided Christian Church, Gregory
of Nyssa, once wrote:
"What came about in bodily form in
Mary, the fullness of the godhead shining through Christ in the Blessed
Virgin, takes place in a similar way in every soul that has been made
pure. The Lord does not come in bodily form, for 'we no longer know
Christ according to the flesh', but He dwells in us spiritually and the
father takes up His abode with Him, the Gospel tells us. In this way the
child Jesus is born in each of us."
When Mary visited her
cousin Elizabeth, she bore within her the Incarnate Word of God as a
living tabernacle of love. (Luke 1:38-45) Jesus, the Redeemer in the
womb, was already saving the world and Mary, his chosen mother, was
already His first disciple. This little Virgin from Nazareth not only
experienced the great miracle but became herself a vehicle of grace for
others.
Is it any wonder that the early Christians painted her
image in the catacombs during their moments of fear, persecution and
doubt? They found great inspiration from this little woman of great
faith. In her yes they came to understand that ordinary people can
change human history. They were inspired to add their own yes, their own
fiat to hers.
Justin Martyr and many other early Christian
apologists found in her fiat, her obedient Yes to the invitation angel,
the undoing of the no - I will not serve - given by the first woman Eve. In one of her very first titles, they called Mary The Second Eve, the mother of the new creation.
In
her womb she carried the One whom the biblical authors would call the
New Adam. He was born from her as the first born of a new race of men
and women who would find a new birth and a new of living and dying, and
living again, through His Incarnation, Conception, Nativity, Life, Death
and Resurrection.
That same Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the
Incarnate Word, now resides within - and lives His Risen Life through -
all those who respond to the invitation of Love, as Mary did. Mary's
choice, her response to the invitation of a God who always respects
human freedom, is a singularly extraordinary event in all of human
history because it changed history forever. However, it is much more.
It
is an invitation to each one of us to explore our own personal
histories and to write them anew in Jesus Christ. Mary is a mirror, a
reflection, of Some-One, Jesus Christ, her Beloved Son,the Eternal Word
sent from the Father who became the Incarnate Word within her. The
Savior whom she was privileged to bear for the sake of the world filled
her with His grace.
Each one of us, now baptized into Him, is
also called to become, in a real sense, full of grace. We are invited to
empty ourselves and be filled with the very life of God. The Lord
desires to come and take up residence within us and be borne into a
world that hungers for His love. Mary shows us the way. She heard the
promise, believed, was filled with grace, and conceived the Lord who is
Love incarnate.
We can do likewise if we learn to pray, to
listen, to hear, and to respond with our own Yes, living our lives in
surrendered love. Years ago, I wrote a book of reflections to help
Christians of other communities not in full communion with the Catholic
Church, to more fully discover this gift of Mary for us all. It is
entitled The Prayer of Mary, Living the Surrendered Life. The Assumption or Dormition of Mary is not just about Mary. It is also about all of those who say Yes
to Jesus Christ. We will experience the fullness of redemption in the
Resurrection of the Body and life in the coming Kingdom.
4 The chief men then said to the king, 'You must have this man
put to death: he is unquestionably disheartening the remaining soldiers
in the city, and all the people too, by talking like this. This man is seeking not the welfare of the people but their ruin.' 5 King Zedekiah answered, 'He is in your hands as you know, for the king is powerless to oppose you.' 6 So they took Jeremiah
and put him into the storage-well of the king's son Malchiah in the
Court of the Guard, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in
the storage-well, only mud, and into the mud Jeremiah sank. 8 Ebed-Melech came out from the palace and spoke to the king. 9 'My lord king,' he said, 'these men have done a wicked thing by treating the prophetJeremiah like this: they have thrown him into the storage-well. He will starve to death there, since there is no more food in the city.' 10 At this the king gave Ebed-Melech the Cushite the following order: 'Take thirty men with you from here and pull the prophetJeremiah out of the storage-well before he dies.'
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 40:2, 3, 4, 18
2 He pulled me up from the seething chasm, from the mud of the mire. He set my feet on rock, and made my footsteps firm. 3 He put a fresh song in my mouth, praise of our God. Many will be awestruck at the sight, and will put their trust in Yahweh. 4
How blessed are those who put their trust in Yahweh, who have not sided
with rebels and those who have gone astray in falsehood.
Gospel, Luke 12:49-53
49 'I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! 50 There is a baptism I must still receive, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 'Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on, a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three; 53
father opposed to son, son to father, mother to daughter, daughter to
mother, mother-in-law to daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law to
mother-in-law.'
Reading 2, Hebrews 12:1-4
1 With so many witnesses in a great cloud all around us, we too, then, should throw off everything that weighs us down and the sin that clings so closely, and with perseverance keep running in the race which lies ahead of us. 2 Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who leads us in our faith
and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which lay ahead of
him, he endured the cross, disregarding the shame of it, and has taken
his seat at the right of God's throne. 3 Think of the way he persevered against such opposition from sinners and then you will not lose heart and come to grief. 4 In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of bloodshed.
The answers to the problems facing our nation and world will not be
solved by any of our political parties or politicians. These issues are
spiritual in nature and beyond the ability of mere mortal men and women
to rectify.
CANASTOTA, NY - Unfortunately, far too many of our religious leaders have failed to properly guide us or defend God's Truth.
Unless
and until they do so and unless we surrender our wills to our Almighty
and loving Creator and Lord, evil will roam the face of this earth.
This
post is not a political attack, though some will treat it as such. It
is simply an attempt by a simple man to stand up and defend the Truth,
since too few of those charged with such obligation have been willing to
do so.
It pains me to write this piece, but far less than the
silence of so many of our Cardinals, Bishops and priests offends our
Loving Lord and jeopardizes the salvation of souls.
Do you notice their silence and/or inaction:
When
a Presidential candidate issued an ultimatum that our Churches and all
who profess to be Christian must abandon their deeply held religious
beliefs on such intrinsic evils as abortion, contraception and the
nature of marriage? We must, she commanded, reject God's law, acquiesce
to those promulgated by mere humans and thereby promote a culture of
death;
When she and her party insisted we must use taxpayer
dollars to provide abortions and to fund Planned Parenthood's insatiable
appetite to kill and sell aborted body parts?
When politicians
and government officials (of all political parties) claiming to be
Catholic obstinately persist in advocating and supporting public
policies contrary to God's law and Church teaching, even after being
advised by their Bishops of their error?
When so many of our
Bishops and priests refuse to withhold the Sacred Species from such
offending public figures and thereby become facilitators and accomplices
to such sacrilege and sin.
When an entire parish is reported
to have given a standing ovation to one of their Catholic
politician/parishioners professing to be personally opposed to intrinsic
evil, but who has consistently supported legislation and public
policies contrary to God's Law.
When the Vice-President of this
nation, another dissenting Catholic politician, advocates for
legalization of same sex marriage and then officiates one.
Let
there be no doubt: when these things occur, you know there has been a
failure of spiritual leadership and catechesis, as well as an absence of
zeal for the salvation of souls.
On the other hand, look how
quickly certain Cardinals, Bishops and priests publicly criticized the
suggestion of Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments - the man charged by
Pope Francis to fully implement the authentic reform of the Liturgy
intended by Vatican II - that as many parishes as possible return to the
long standing and never intended to be abandoned posture of celebrating
portions of the Mass facing the Lord and not the people?
Such contrasting responses speaks volumes.
When
you read the advice St. Catherine of Siena gave to the Cardinal of
Ostia more than 600 hundred years ago, you can imagine what she would
advise our Cardinals, Bishops and priests today.
'I wish you to
be occupied with nothing but loving God, saving souls, and serving the
sweet spouse of Christ...act manfully...If you have to lay down your
life do it!'
Oh, how we miss her fearless and courageous voice and witness!
Since she no longer walks this earth, other simple folk must step up to the plate.
Ask for the courage to defend Truth.
Let there be no mistake: THIS is spiritual combat! Arm yourself with prayer and fasting.
Imagine having someone standing in wait for you to hand over to them
all your fears, pain and anxieties. Someone who can and will pave the
way for you simply for the asking. Someone who will relieve you from
every burden, and accompany you through every trial you could possibly
face in this life. Imagine having someone to heal you and comfort you
and protect you and guide you 24/7. Without so much as a phone call or
an office visit, you are granted full access to Divine help at every
turn in the road, as Jesus Christ goes about his way serving you and
saving you each and every day, both in this life and in the after-life.
Imagine how different ones life could be beginning the very hour they
first believe in Jesus. Well, I am here to tell you that He is there
for you, if you but speak His blessed name in earnest prayer. Emmanuel,
He walks among us, waiting for us to reach out to Him. He is there to
help you in every imaginable way through each and every day and asks
nothing in return but that you follow Him. Follow him and try to stay
connected; follow Him and learn about Him from Holy Scripture,
especially from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Talk to
Him in prayer. Eloquent speech is not necessary, as he already knows
your heart and stands in wait for you to seek Him so He can open the
floodgates of help for you in your daily life.
Looking for light in the darkness?
His
love for you is like no other, for He is the Alpha, the Omega, the
beginning and the end. And in Him, there is no darkness at all as He IS
all that is good and right and true. He IS the Light. For Jesus only
seeks to bring you closer to Himself, something that happens profoundly
when we are open to His Holy Love. Omnipotent Lover of Souls, He is the
"Come as you are" Savior; one who does not expect you to be at your best
or to wear finery to be heard. Rather, Jesus walks closest with us and
embraces us when we are not at the top of our game. In times of
financial strain, poverty, homelessness, strained, difficult or
dissolved relationships, infirmity, disability, grief, addiction, and
aging, etc., He stands ready to intercede for the asking. Yes, indeed,
we serve a mighty God!
"You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon Him, for you are His personal concern." I Peter 5:7
Pray
and ask for whatever you need, and your prayers will be answered in
God's special time and way! Perhaps your prayer requests will not be
answered exactly as you expect, but in his own special time and way for
your greatest benefit. You can rest assured He hears your every plea for
help, So pray for holy boldness to ask for what you need. He is there
to comfort you when you weep. He is there. And when relief comes upon
you as your anxieties and burdens are swiftly lifted, it is always
important to offer prayers of praise and thanksgiving for blessings
received...Trust me, you'll be glad you did, as you place your hope in
Him, and are lifted up by Jesus Himself, the greatest hope the world has
ever known!!!
A 26-year-old man, Wilfred Inacho,
was sentenced to six strokes of the cane by a Gudu Upper Area Court
sitting in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), after he was
dragged to the court for fondling a woman's buttocks in public without her consent.
News Agency of Nigeria reports that Inacho, a welder, who was charged on a one count-charge of mischief, had grabbed at the buttocks
of the woman without her consent, pleaded guilty to the charge, saying
it was not intentional as he only wanted the lady to like him.
The police prosecutor, Augustine Urom, had told the court that one Alice Adejo
reported the matter at Apo police station on August 10, 2016. Urom said
during investigation, it was realised that Inacho had formed a habit of
leaving his work to follow Adejo every time she passed by his workshop.
The presiding judge, Umar Kagarko,
while passing the sentence on the convict, admonishing him to desist
from such indecency, and advised him to look for a decent approach
towards women.
15-Year Old Girl Kimberly Anyadike – Became The Youngest Black Female Pilot To Fly Cross Country.
Many of us find ourselves pushed to have low standards for our
children. The saddest part of it all is that our kids have abilities
that we may never have even thought possible. This young lady shows us
what our kids can do when we set the bar high.
She departed with a dream and returned home a record-breaker.
Inspired by the Tuskeegee Airmen, 15-year-old Kimberly Anyadike flew a
single-engine Cessna cross-country from her hometown of Compton, Calif.,
to Newport News, Va.
Anyadike is thought to be the youngest African American female pilot to complete the journey, which took 13 days.
Kudos girl!
A 28-year-old rape suspect, Modiu Diallo, has been docked at a Surulere Magistrates’ Court, sitting in Lagos State, for allegedly raping a 7-year-old girl inside the Iponri Central Mosque, Surulere.
It
was gathered that Diallo, a Senegalese labourer, who is facing a
three-count charge bordering on rape, had, on July 13, 2016, abducted
the girl and took her inside the Mosque where he forcefully had carnal knowledge of her in the early hours of the day.
The police prosecutor, Sergeant Anthonia Osayande,
told the court that the accused committed the offence at about 6:00am
on the said date when most of the early morning worshippers had left the
Mosque after the morning prayers.
“It is a shameful act and that should not be condoled,” Osayande told the court, adding that the offence contravened Sections 135 (2) and 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
When the charges were read to Diallo, he pleaded not guilty and the Magistrate, Mrs Ekpaye Nwachukwu,
granted him bail in the sum of N500, 000, with one surety in like sum,
while the case was adjourned the case till September 20, 2016, for
mention.
The Assumption or Dormition of Mary. It is not just about
Mary. It is also about all of those who say Yes to Jesus Christ. We
will experience the fullness of redemption in the Resurrection of the
Body and life in the coming Kingdom.
