HUMAN COMMITMENT AND PERSISTENCE

HUMAN COMMITMENT AND PERSISTENCE

Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua

Jesus used the Parable of the Persistent Widow to teach human persistence (Luke 18:1). The Widow needed justice against her adversary from a judge who neither feared God nor cared aboutpeople (Luke 18:2-3). After much persistence, the unjust judge decided to give her justice for his own personal security. He did not want to be bothered and he feared that the woman might attack him (Luke 18:4-5). The judiciary occupies a central place in governance. In law, the life and death of a criminal depends on the judgement of the lawyers who interpret and administer justice. When D. Olu Olagoke published in 1962, “The Incorruptible Judge” which was republished in 2011, the author was prophetic given the signs of the times in African nations. Who could have imagined that from March 1984 till September 1985, the military government of Nigeria would wage war against indiscipline?  This war took the form of “fight against corruption from 2015 till date. In the play ‘The Incorruptible Judge’, Ajala represents the qualified graduates who could not get jobs while Femi who got a job with a Third Class represents the graduates who are favoured because of the position of their parents or relations in government. 

Mr. James Ade Agbalowomeri represents corrupt officers in government who collects bribes (Kola) before carrying out their legitimate duties. The Detective- Sergeant Okoro represents the police who are still committed to their duties. Sgt. Okoro refused the bribe offered him by Mr. Agbalowomeri. When Agbalowomeri wanted to swallow the £5 note he collected as bribe from Ajala, the young graduate, he held his throat and forced him to vomit it. The incorruptible judge in the play isJustice Faderin who could not be influenced even by any class of persons. Given that ordinarily, the law is no respecter of person, Justice Faderin said: “if the citadel of justice is corrupt, what will happen to the body politics? It will be completely rotten and collapse.” You have the right to judge for yourself if this can be true of the Judiciary and individual lawyers in our nations today. This was not true of the lawyers at the time of Jesus Christ hence he said: "Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering" (Luke 11:52).

Corruption and bad governance are the cancer in the society of today. It is hoped that one day, God will answer the prayer against bribery and corruption and deliver Nigeria from the persistent distress. Jesus encourages his followers to pray unceasingly to the God of justice. Because of the attitude of human beings, Jesus wondered about the duration of faith on earth. “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth” (Luke 18:8)? The Church in continuing the mission of Jesus Christ on earth persistently encourages her members to pray. When Saint Pope John Paul II was elected Pope on October 16th, 1978, he emphasized the need for faith because of the pains and distress in the world: “Be not afraid”. He said this to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his inaugural homily on October 22nd, 1978. He lived with these words until his death on April 2nd, 2005. Here is the full statement of Pope John Paul II: “Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept his power. Help the Pope and all those who wish to serve Christ and with Christ’s power to serve the human person and the whole of mankind. Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. To his saving power open the boundaries of States, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization, and development. Do not be afraid. Christ knows what is in man” (https://zenit.org/articles/saint-john-paul-ii-be-not-afraid/).

In the Communiqué at the End of the Second Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) at the Pastoral Centre, Igwuruta, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, September 10th - 18th, 2015, The Catholic Bishops of Nigeriacalled on all to pray. The Bishops where happy that the elections had come and gone with Nigeria still intact as against those who predicted the dissolution of the nation. Hopes were high as if the prayer against “Bribery and Corruption” is being given animmediate answer. The Bishops had composed the “prayer for Nigeria in distress.” This would now continue given that the manifesto of the new government would take care of corruption. All these efforts are geared towards the continuation of the mission of Christ for the whole world. The Church must continue to pray and preach the word in season and out of season. The Church must continue to correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction to the faithful and the entire society (2 Timothy 4:2). Saint Paul wrote to Timothy to continue to spread the word of God with conviction using the Holy Scriptures so that the servants of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:14-17). 

Commitment to duty is paramount in life just as perseverance in prayer is indispensable. “As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up one on one side, one on the other so that his hands remained steady till sunset” Exodus 17: 11-12). There cannot be human progress with only prayers. Human beings need to work out the progress of the nation because it is the same human beings who make things difficult for others. Prayer does not change God but opens up the heart of the human person to be docile to the will of God. Prayer enhances the unity in the human psyche to see the other as a person with whom you share the same humanity. Our political ancestors must have had a vision of one nation when they were struggling forindependence. They could have had a dream that one day, all tribes and peoples would be liberated from the “Colonial masters.” 

Our political ancestors must have had good dreams of united tribes of Nigeria but we need to pray and act more today for abundant life in this Mega Empire of the entire Niger Areas. There is strength in unity. We can make the amalgamated tribes work even with our racial and ethnic diversity if we have the courage to be true citizens. We need to change our attitudes as ifthe deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of Africa is communal existence. If this sense of community is running in our blood, the persistent greed in our society must be given the therapy that can make us live with love, hope and faith in one another. We must combat local and international politics in a way and manner that our human and natural resources could take us to a level of real independence. This can happen if we purify our hearts to embrace the beatitudes (Matthew 5). The principle that leads to peace and unity is the awareness that no one is an island. The unity we seek should go beyond psychic imagination to a realistic humanity devoid of racial, tribal and religious sentiments. Nigeria is one of the most praying nation in the world. On Sundays and Fridays, some roads are blocked to give space to worshipers to pray. Every day, Christians and Muslims pray. If prayers alone can change Nigeria, no one would suffer any deprivation by now. This is why our commitment to duty, service and promotion of human dignity must be a response to the way and manner we pray. God who made you without you cannot save you without your cooperation. Let us continue to work and pray for a better nation. 

 

Rev. Fr. Cornelius Omonokhua is the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) (nirec.ng@gmail.com)