VOCATION IN NIGERIAN CONTEXT

VOCATION IN NIGRIAN CONTEXT

Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua

 

If we access the key performance indicators of workers today in Nigeria, is it likely that the production output of every worker would be such that we can say that every worker is answering adivine call to serve in their various vocations, professions and careers? In the present day Nigeria, is it factual to say that one really chose to be in the Police Force, Army, Custom, Immigration, Air force, Navy, Para-military, Civil Service andPublic Service as a response to a divine call? Can we say that every ordained and consecrated person is truly answering a call to the Priesthood and Religious Life? Is every Pastor or minister of the gospel genuinely responding to a call? In the current Nigerian context, can a person really desire any of the above vocations or professions and succeed in realizing the dream? 

 

These questions are relevant because, the failing economy andunemployment are serious factors that condition many people to do any type of work merely to survive. Many merely do something not because it is their vocation, profession or chosen career because the bizarre ways government structures are managed have killed their dreams. Failure of Government to provide jobs today have put some graduates who should be professionals by training on the streets to take alternative jobs like gate keepers, drivers, laborers, traders, sex workers, kidnappers, ritualists, cultists and terrorists. Some simply become self-ordained ministers who sell miracles to the highest bidders.   

 

When I entered Saints Peter and Paul Major Seminary, Bodija-Ibadan, Nigeria in 1983, the number of Seminarians were not up to a hundred. Then we prayed every day for vocations to the Priesthood and Religious life. Then the only challenge for University graduates was how to choose out of the numerous jobs available to them. Graduates knew where they would work after passing out of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC). Some were retained in their places of primary assignments. Today, there is a high number of seminarians in some Seminaries because some youths perhaps see the Seminary as the only hope for the future in terms of employments. Consequently, it is becoming increasingly difficult to discern if a seminarian is truly and genuinely responding to a divine call to the priesthood. Here we cannot rule out the tragedy of some Ministers of God who have turned their vocation into mere business, striving endlessly to always have their way in evil machinations even if it means lobbying the authorities with money. 

 

In some African traditions, it is believed that it is God that crowns the king. In the Old Testament of the Bible, the sages in Wisdom literature trained the youths to be future kings. This is based on the belief that governance is a divine vocation. The prophesy of Daniel alluded to Jesus Christ as the King of Kings. “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14). In the Catholic Church, every baptized person shares in the kingship of Jesus Christ hence, the President of a nation, Governor of a State and other political leaders share in the kingship of Jesus Christ whose kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). Jesus came to serve and not to be served (Matthew 20:28).

 

If governance is a vocation, how are the leaders of the nations prepared, trained and formed for leadership as servants? When I was a student, I asked the lecturer who was teaching us political science why the political scientists do not often participate in partisan politics. I asked because of my impression then thatpolitical science prepares the students for governance in any nation. In the context of the Nigerian constitution, I was wrong because higher education is not required in  to be a President or Governor. Section 131 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states that “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of President if he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.”In Section 117 of the same constitution, a person shall be qualified for election to the office of Governor of a State if “he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.” I leave the interpretation of these sections of the constitution to those who are divinely called to be lawyers. 

 

With the tension that exists in governance today in Nigeria raging from the conflicts between the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary to electoral malpractices, can we say that those who made the laws for the federation were God’s instruments akin to Moses through whom the ten commandments were given to the Ancient Israel? Would some Muslims agitate for Sharia law if the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria wereoperated in a way and manner that the basic needs of every Nigerian are taken care of? Would there be agitation for secession of any region if there were no structural injustice? Would there be mutual suspicion if the constitution could defend and protect the rights of the poorest of the poor irrespective of religion and ethnicity? In other words, are those who interpret and execute the constitution for the nation endowed with divinevocation to do so? When legal intellectuals take to physical violence instead of using the legislative power to resolve issuesin the National and State Assemblies, the question of their divine vocation lingers. Is it not a contradiction if the law makers excel in breaking the law?

The agitation for human wants is another reason for misplaced vocation and profession. The result has been the tendency to puta square peg in a round hole and this has caused dichotomy in life. According to the Second Vatican Council, “The dichotomy affecting the modern world is, in fact a symptom of the deeper dichotomy that is in man himself. He is the meeting point of many but feels untrammeled in his inclinations and destined for a higher form of life. Torn by a welter of anxieties he is compelled to choose between them and repudiate some among them. Worse still, feeble and sinful as he is, he does the very thing he hates and does not do what he wants. And so he feels himself divided, and the result is a host of discord in social life (Vatican II, Gaudium at spes, 7 December 1965, No. 10). The Religious leaders ought to make a difference in exercising their vocations in this divided world to pray for the people in distress and not prey on them. The minister of God who is conscious of divine vocation must give hope to others. When Saint Oscar Romero knew that his life was in danger for rendering through service as an Archbishop of El Salvador in accordance to his vocation, he said to his baptized lay faithful, “If some day they take the radio station away from us, if they close down our newspaper, if they don’t let us speak, if they kill all our priests and the Bishops too, and you are left, a people without priests, each one of you must be God’s microphone, each one of you must be a messenger, a prophet. The Church will always exist as long as there is one baptized person (Daniel P. Cronin; Words of Encouragement, Makati, St. Paul’s 1992, Page 14). May we all uphold the banner of divine truth and justice!

 

Fr. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua is the Director of Mission and Dialogue of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (omonokhuac@gmail.com) 

 

VOCATION AS A CALL TO SERVICE

VOCATION AS A CALL TO SERVICE

Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua

 

A person’s vocation is communicated to others in the form of dialogue of religious experience hence you often hear some people say: “Deep within me, I feel a strong motivation and zeal to serve in a unique and particular way. I feel like bursting the skies to pour down the rains for the torrents defines my vocation.” “The Holy Spirit ministered to me to open a Church and serve him.” “I am wonderfully made to serve and worship God.” However, the big question is what exactly is thismotivation to bloom and bud in mission? Into what area or field is a person called to actualize his or her potentials? God believes in each person in a unique way. The gift of Peter is not the gift of Paul. God has an assignment for each individual in a very special way. This is why a person needs time to identify his or her vocation through discernment that calls for spiritual direction. Someone else needs to confirm the vocation or profession of a person through ordination, profession or graduation after which the person is given faculty, certificate or license to practice. These could be withdrawn if the person undermines the ethics of the vocation or profession. A self-ordained minister reports to himself hence he is a serious threat to humanity. No one questions him when he is under the influence of an unknown spirit. Some organizations do career and vocational training to enable the young ones and applicantsidentify their true callings. Some do aptitude test before placing workers in different fields. If a person gets his or her vocation or career right, the result is job fulfillment that gives rise to the joy of service. 

 

Once a professional is given a wrong task, one of the consequences could be the fear and risk of manipulation and failure. This could explain why some professionals who dabble into partisan politics end up with disgrace. I wonder how a historian would perform well if made a Consultant in a Specialist Hospital. This is how some professionals have mortgaged the joy they could derive in their proper fields. Every professional needs courage to blossom in his or her unique garden. You can actually blossom in your field if you ask God for wisdom and prudence. Let us further illustrate this point with the parable of Jotham when the people requested him to be king. “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem that God may listen to you. The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honoured and go hold sway over the trees?’ And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’ But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’ And the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’ But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’ Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’ And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon’ (Judges 9, 7-15).

 

If we identify our talents and obey the capacity in us, we shall be respected for our efficiency better than if we manipulate our ways to become a President whose inefficiency becomes a security risk to life and property. If we are in the right vocation and profession, we can succeed if we ask God for wisdom and courage to serve selflessly. If we are sincere and determine to become saints through our work, we could find it easy to carry out our legitimate duties to the glory of God and to the joyful happiness of humanity. In our professional expertise, we must never forget that it is God who gives the task. So we need to go to God the owner of the manual to ask for support. Thesuccessful prophets of old depended on God even in their fears for support. Robert J. Furry puts this in the context of hope: “In the midst of our darkest hours we carry with us the potentials for hope.” The courage to serve comes from the Lord and nurtured by our dedication, confidence and prayer. God always accompanies those who respond to the call to serve withoutstrings attached. 

 

When God called Isaiah, he felt so unworthy that he was afraid. He examined his life and said: “Woe is me; I am lost for I am a man of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the king, Yahweh Sabbaoth” (Isaiah 6, 5). Because of the courage that comes from the Lord, Isaiah accepted to be a true instrument in the hand of God; he summoned up courage to say: “Lord Yahweh has given me a disciple’s tongue, for me to know how to give a word of comfort to the weary. Morning by morning, he makes my ear alert to listen like a disciple” (Isaiah 50, 4). In the call of Jeremiah, he responded, “Ah, Lord Yahweh you see, I do not know how to speak I am only a child” (Jeremiah 1, 6). All these show that a servant is not a person who campaigns and tells the electorate that he would do what he knows very well that he would not do. The beginning of the failure of a servant (leader) is when he consciously lies, promising to do only that which God alone can do. Having discerned our talents and what God intends for us to do to serve him and humanity, we should still constantly get back to him for courage and direction. By so doing, we would recognize the voice of God who shows the way and gives the green light. This is what God told Jeremiah: “Do not say, ‘I am a child’, for you must go to all to whom I send you and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of confronting them, for I am with you to rescue you” (Jeremiah 1, 7-8).

 

In any work that involves the management of human beings, listening, courage and obedience cannot be underestimated. Education plays a prominent role in human resource management so we must be humble to learn from one another. To succeed in our vocation, ministry and profession, team spirit is a necessary condition without which we become like a foolish tree that thinks it can make a forest. Service involves a lot of suffering hence everybody needs somebody. When I became a parish priest for the first time in Udaba-Ekperi, with seventeen outstations that had no good roads, electricity and portable water, I could only find joy in my work because of the value I placed on the people I was working with. They were ready to support and assist me because I made them co-workers in mission. During rainy season when we were completely cut off, they made their canoes available and paddled me to outstations for mass and sick calls. Sometimes, we trekked for hours from the main station to say Mass in some outstations. The people did not leave me alone. When you truly serve the people, you will never go hungry. 

 

My mission in Udaba-Ekperi of Edo State, Nigeria, gave me occasions and moments to contemplate how Jesus did his work without vehicles. Each time I found myself in a canoe; I realized and appreciated Jesus’ effort in preaching while in a paddled canoe. When I was in darkness, I remembered the Apostles in the catacombs. The suffering of the people opened my eyes to the reality of the person of Jesus. I had to be everything to the people. I discovered that I had to spend my life in the service of the people. Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said that “what matters is not how much we do, but how much love we put in what we do, little things done with great love.” Our mission is a call to give all like Saint Oscar Romero who was born in 1917 and killed while celebrating the Eucharist in 1980. However, you don’t have to be a priest to be a saint. The lay faithful are called to be saints in their various fields of service.  We must therefore defend the truth with courage even in danger of death. So live fully and serve fully to be saints. May God give us the grace to open our eyes to the needs of the poor in our service to God and humanity!

 

Fr. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua is the Director of Mission and Dialogue of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (omonokhuac@gmail.com)

 

 

VOCATION AND PROFESSION

VOCATION AND PROFESSION

Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua

 

Vocation is perceived as “an occupation to which a person is specially drawn or for which they are suited, trained, qualified”(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocation). Christians define vocation as a “call" by God to salvation. God created human beings to be happy on earth and in heaven. While some people are called to the Priesthood and Religious life, others are called to the lay apostolate. We are called to different fields of production and profession to promote human dignity. For instance, the pharmacist produces medications to save life but a fake drug can kill. Work in any given profession is not just an article to be sold. It is a divine call to render a unique service toGod and humanity. Professional fulfillment makes work a divine vocation hence some professionals can say, “I know my job”; “I am proud to be a teacher, medical doctor, lawyer, nurse, engineer, farmer, driver, tailor, trader, soldier, police, civil servant, public servant etc.” Medical doctors are called to be co-healers with Jesus Christ hence they say, “we care but God heals”. Lawyers are called to defend the poor, the oppressed and give justice to those who are unjustly detained hence they are co-liberators with Jesus Christ. 

 

A priest is called to lead the people to salvation through the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. The priesthood is a vocation for the other akin to Jesus “who emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness and being found in human appearance as a man, humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on the cross (Philippians 2:7-8). Although a priest may outside his primary duties of celebrating the sacraments take up other professional duties, he must never forget that work and professional fulfillment are relevant only in the service to others.According to Bernard Haring, “if a man does his work in social mindedness, he also develops his own personality and precious social relationship” (Free and Faithful in Christ, Vol.3, England, St Paul’s, 1981, page 156). Whatever a priest does, he must never forget that he is called to be a saint by leading others to salvation. The Religious are called primarily to be witnesses of the beatific vision. They are outward sign of heavenly reality by promoting the kingdom of God on earth. When an ordained Minister or a Consecrated person considers his or her vocation only as business, then he or she becomes a mere professional who has lost a divine mission. The world needs to pray for ordained Ministers and Consecrated persons who have lost their vocation to material gains. 

 

The physically challenged are also called in a unique way by God who loves them as they are. Many physically challenged people have created a lot of impression in their various fields like Steve Wonder. He was born blind yet he is one of the most wonderful musicians in the world. He contributed to the master piece “We are the world; we are the children...” He is also known for his album: “I just come to say I love you”. Auto-formation and self-determination are signs of positive response to a divine call. No one is useless in life. Some professionals have taken their work as service to God and humanity as recommended by Saint Paul that every person should be faithful to his calling (1 Corinthians 7:20). What makes vocation a divine call is the fact that God who is love expect that each person should carry out the mission into which he or she is called with the sole purpose of fulfilment and happiness on earth in view of the divine union with God who is love (1 John 4:8). It is expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that "Loveis the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being" (CCC 2392). 

 

We are living in a generation were so many are freely worshiping Satan out of greed, selfishness and material acquisitions forgetting the temptation of Jesus. Satan said to Jesus, "All these I will give you, if you will bow down andworship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only”(Matthew 4:9-10). For those who have no courage to tell Satan, “away from me”, profession is reduced to a means to amass wealth. Whereas some people who desire to work in the spirit of vocation are jobless, there are professionals who quit their professional practice for politics because for them profession lacks the dignity that goes with labour as a means of rendering service to God and humanity. They simply want more money and the easy way out is politics where money is freely stolen and looted without qualms of conscience. The temptation to make religious vocation a money making business is very strong even in some houses of worship today. In the quest to acquire money and perishable wealth, some men and women of God transform their vocations to satanic temples. Some use money to bribe their ways to higher positions to access more money. Those who are already in exalted positions are sometimes lobbied into manipulated manipulators. They access success and promotionin ministry in terms of how much money a pastor can generate for them.

 

Ideally, people work to meet the basic necessities of life, to feed well, clothe well and have a good shelter. Whatever reason a person has for working, the ultimate goal is to derive joy in serving God and humanity. According to C. Henry Peschke, “Man is called to serve God by his work; this is one of his basic duties. Work is also the primary title by which he takes possession of things and acquires the right to own them”(Christian Ethics, Vol. II, Dublin, Good life Neal 978, page 487).Unfortunately, while some are working to create and sustain what could bring about joy and happiness, others are working to destroy humanity. In true vocation, human beings source for perfection and self-fulfillment that is achievable through serviceto God who is ever ready and willing to grant success to the work of human hands (Psalm 90, 17).

 

Mary the mother of Jesus is a model for all women in her relationship with Joseph, the Patron Saint of workers (Matthew 13, 55). Jesus worked in the context of his vocation; “What mighty works are wrought by his hand, is this not the carpenter, the son of Joseph” (Mark 6, 2-3)? Jesus working as a carpenter makes work holy. The Holy Family did not work to amass wealth. The first disciples of Jesus were already actively involved in the work of fishing. They were on duty when Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4. 18-19). Jesus uses parables such as the “dishonest steward” (Luke 16, 1-13) and the talents (Matthew 25, 14-30) toteach us the essence of work in our various vocations. He warned against avarice and covetousness for “a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12, 15). The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council said that when man and woman provide for themselves and their families in such a way as to be of service to the community as well, they can rightly look upon their work as a prolongation of the work of the Creator, a service to their fellow men and their personal contribution to the fulfillment in history of the divine plan (GS 34). This is the way we can tell the world that we are signs and instruments of salvation (John 14, 8-13). May we be to the world evangelized evangelizers and reconciled reconcilers in our vocations and professions. 

 

Fr. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua is the Director of Mission and Dialogue of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (omonokhuac@gmail.com)