THE LORD GIVES A NEW COMMANDMENT

THE LORD GIVES A NEW COMMANDMENT

Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua

 

Jesus told his followers: "A new commandment I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). What makes this commandment of love new? This question could lead to a brief enquiry into the life of the Jewish nation and the understanding of love in the Jewish context. In the Old Testament narrative, twelve tribes made up the Israel that was delivered from bondage in Egypt by Moses. They were descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob. God changed the name of Jacob to Israel when he wrestled with the Angel (Genesis 32:28). One of the sons of Israel was Judah. His descendants were later nick named Jews by the neighbouring nations. King David was from the tribe of Judahbut he and his son Solomon ruled over the twelve tribes. After Solomon, the nation was split into the Northern Kingdom with ten tribes and Southern kingdom with Judah and Benjamin. After Solomon, the Northern Kingdom existed for about 200years before the conquest by the Assyrian Empire. The Southern kingdom was later captured by the Babylonian Empire. “Seventy years later, a group of Jews returned to Jerusalem with a unique culture under the Roman Empire until the time of Jesus.

 

The concept of love centred on the love of God for Israel and the reciprocity of this love. Love for the Israelites was exclusively from the Jews to the Jews. This love did not extend to the Gentile nations as shown in the Parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Women were not loved, they were only used and dumped. The way and manner Jesus loved and commanded human beings to love akin to the way God loved Israel. In the Old Testament, Love is an attribute of God. God created the universe and humanity out of love. God made Israel his people out of Love (Hosea 11:1). God shows his love to individual human beings in a very unique way (Isaiah 38). The love of God for Israel was unconditional: “The Lord did not set his love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and because he would keep the oath which he swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage” (Deuteronomy 7:7-8). 

 

God needed faithful reciprocity from the people. “Therefore know that the Lord your God, he is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commandments” (Deuteronomy 7:9). Then God says: “I made you thrive like a plant in the field, and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful” (Ezekiel 16:6-7).  God hates wickedness and the workers of iniquities (Psalm 5:4-7). The people of God did not respond to the love of God who said to them. “But you began to trust in your beauty. You used the good name you had and became unfaithful to me. You acted like a prostitute with every man who passed by. You gave yourself to them all” (Ezekiel 16:15)! On the other hand, God remained constant and faithful such that he renews his covenant of love.“I’ll remember the covenant I made with you when you were young and I’ll make a new covenant with you that will last forever” (Ezekiel 16:60). These show that love for God and humanity in the Jewish nations was not perfect. 

 

At the time of Jesus, the Jews were colonised by the Roman Empire. The Hellenistic world and the Greek nations understood the categories of love. For the Greeks love was either Eros, Filial or Agape. Eros is the love you express when you have something to gain from the other person. It is erotic in the sense that it is love based on utility. Erotic love is when for instance, a man loves a woman because she is young and beautiful. You love the woman just to have sex with her. When she grows old or she loses her beauty, you abandon her. A woman could love a man to get money from him. When money goes, the woman goes! Erotic love is drink the water and throw away the cup. Filial love is family love. I love you because you are my son, daughter or relative. Filial love isrelationship by consanguinity. Agape is sacrificial love. It is the love that is so unconditional. This love is based on the common humanity that human beings share. It is the love that can make you sacrifice your life for the person you love (John 3:16).

 

The new commandment of love is reformative in a way that the narrative of the kingdoms that existed before and after Jesus could change the world. Apart from Yemen, the world of the Arabian Peninsula before Islam had no political organization. The outcome was lawlessness, jungle justice and lack of value for life. Killing of human beings was normal such that the only protection people had was the family. The desert life was survival of the strongest. Economically, the Jews were the leaders of Arabia. They were the owners of the best arable lands in Hijaz, and they were the best farmers in the country. They were also the entrepreneurs of such industries as existed in Arabia in those days, and they enjoyed a monopoly of the armaments industry. Slavery was an economic institution of the Arabs. Male and female slaves were sold and bought like animals, and they formed the most depressed class of the Arabian society. Women had no status of any kind other than as sex objects (https://www.al-islam.org/restatement-history-islam-and-muslims-sayyid-ali-ashgar-razwy/arabia-islam)

 

When Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34), he meant do what I say and do what I do. Jesus wants his followers to change the world through witness of life. Jesus healed out of love not to show power as a miracle worker. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14).In raising the dead to life Jesus showed the human emotion of love as in the case of Lazarus. “Jesus wept (John 11:35). Deeply moved, Jesus came to the tomb” (John 11: 38). Out of love he fed the hungry. “Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” (Matthew 15:32). Jesus fed the people with his body and blood as we do today in his memory in the Holy Eucharist. Jesus preached the word of God to take people to heaven. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things” (Mark 6:34). In love Jesus casted out demons. “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick” (Matthew 8:16). In love Jesus prayed for unity of the world. “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:20-21). In love, Jesus sacrificed his life for the world. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

 

The application of the new commandment of love is very imperative in our world today. This application will expel fear and despair from the hearts of many. The rate of suicide has increased. This shows that some people are living in pain and lack of hope for the future. There is need today to care for each other and one another. It is an act of love to check on your neighbour whom you have not seen for some time. It is love to see the ugly expression in the face of the other and you care to ask, “Hope all is well?”  It is an act of love for the government to provide jobs for the youths so that they do not go into depression, despair, crime and suicide. In love we can change the narrative the current situation has given to the society where what matters is material acquisition. The application of this new commandment from Jesus would help us to love a neighbour the way we love ourselves. May we love to cherish unconditional love that could move us to make sacrifices for the good of others. 

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

 

WHY PEACE PROJECT IS EXPENSIVE

WHY PEACE PROJECT IS EXPENSIVE

Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua

 

Peace project has become a lucrative business because there is so much conflict within the human heart. Peace is scarcebecause some people prefer darkness to light (John 3:19). Some people have filled their hearts with so much hatred. In her song,Carey Landry places peace as the core value of human existence. She sang these lyrics to show that the human heart is the natural habitat of peace: “Peace is flowing like a river; flowing out of you and me; flowing out into the desert, setting all the captives free.”  Unfortunately, some conflict profiteers and mischief makers now put a price on peace and would not allow it to flow freely in a world that is created to enjoy true freedom.  Peace is a natural gift but hoarded by human beings hence Jesus promises the peace that the world cannot give (John 14:27). Although peace is priceless and ought to be a free gift from God to humanity, the budget for security in many countriesis huge and alarming. Many countries think that weapons of mass destruction can bring about peace. If all the criminals in the world are killed without a change in the narrative of their radical ideology, the world would still remain in chaos. 

 

If war and violence could be big business for those who want to sell their weapons, could the dealers ever pray for peace? Are the soldiers who have the legal rights to use these ammunitions happier in the battle fields than the peaceful quiet in the military barracks? I doubt if any soldier would really enjoy killing peoplewith the attendant risk to his life. Could it be that the income of the military peace keepers in the battle field is higher than those in the barracks? Some people have wondered why some nations who are donors and sponsors of peace projects still experience religious intolerance. How do we evaluate the proliferation of non-governmental organisations and foundations for peace projects today? If some of the owners of these peace foundations already belong to some national and faith based organisations and Inter-Religious Councils, why do they still need private foundations? There could be some financial interest if some private owners run down the peace foundations of national and faith initiatives. The attention given to their personal foundations could be akin to some Medical doctors who are consultants in government hospitals but refers the patients to their private hospitals to the detriments of the public hospitals. One of the big challenges in peace building then would be the scramble for funds from Donor Agencies. 

 

Jesus said, Blessed are the peace makers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9). This means that the passion for peace ought to consume the totality of each person in a way and manner that the human emotions and temperaments are subject to making others happy. This means that whoever encounters you as a peace builder would never regret meeting you. This means that your heart is open to receive others irrespective of tribe, colour, religion, political affiliation and ideology. Peace projects is expensive because, it is time consuming and calls for patience. A peace maker should not transfer anger to innocent victims.  Peace project is a risk because the peace maker could be misunderstood and misinterpreted. The nature of conflict could be within and without. Sometimes conflict within could be in the form of intra-religious conflict; intra-community conflict, intra-tribal conflict and intra-national conflict. Sometimes the peace builder who is a Christian may not understand the conflict within Islam in terms of inter-sect conflicts. The peace builder who is a Muslim may not understand the conflict within Christianity especially the inter-denominational conflict. Sometimes, intra-religious conflict may be more deadly than inter-religious conflict. The peace builder would wonder why a Christian Pastor could send assassins to kill another Pastor and destroy his Church or how an Imam of an Islamic sect would want to kill the Imam of another Sect. 

 

In the Qur’an peace is Dar as-Salaam (the house of peace). According to Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, there will be an era in which justice, plenty, abundance, well-being, security, peace, and brotherhood will prevail among humanity, and one in which people will experience love, self-sacrifice, tolerance, compassion, mercy, and loyalty (en.m.wikipedia.org/peace). This calls on every Muslim to take the mission of peace as a priority. This is an invitation to every Muslim to make extrasacrifice to make the world a house of peace. The Christian is called to make extra sacrifice to promote peace and allow the peace prophesied by the Prophet Isaiah to allow an ideal world where everybody would live in peace and harmony just as, “the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them (Isaiah 11:6)

 

The prize of peace is the passion for peace that flows from the heart to the world. Peace project is the entire content of the human person. The peace manager must ensure that his or her personality is synonymous to peace. This is one-way peace project is different from any other business that is centred only on material profit. To be a partner in peace project, you must conquer your temperaments. To be a peace builder and to be a temperamental person is a contradiction. You cannot give what you do not have. You must possess peace to give out peace. The door to the heart of those in peace project must be open in a way and manner that no one is afraid and scared to approach you. The cost of peace project is to engage people who have full time to work for dialogue and peace building. This is why a part-time Executive Secretary or Secretary General of a National Inter-Religious Council (NIRC) cannot take the mission of peace to the desired vision. 

The world is becoming more and more sophisticated withweapons of mass destruction like: nuclear arms, chemical weapons, biological weapons, land mines, cluster bombs, assassination drones, depleted uranium, white phosphorus shells, heavy bombs, fuel air explosives, particle weapons, and other exotic weapons. The African Council of Religious Leaders (ACRL) and Religions for Peace (RfP) is encouraging every nation to sign a treaty against nuclear weapons. The cost of weapons for mass destruction could be used for human development. The Church is requesting for the control of world trade in arms and armaments. We must join our voices and actions in animating the world powers on the need to develop non-violent means of defence. “Blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called children of God.” (Matthew 5, 7).

 

Let us pledge ourselves to peace through justice; let us take a solemn decision, now, that war will never be tolerated or sought as a means for resolving differences. Let us join in this prophetic declaration: "They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah2:4). According to Pope Saint Gregory, the Great, “No misfortune should distract us from this happiness and deep joy; for if anyone is anxious to reach a destination, the roughness of the road will not make him change his mind. The charms of prosperity must not lead us astray; for only a foolish traveller, when he sees pleasant fields on his way, forgets to go on towards his destination” (The Divine Office; The Liturgy of the Hours According to the Roman Rite. Volume 2, 1974, Page 555). The cost of peace is the human life but we must not give up until every human heart is converted from hatred to the peace God destined for humanity. 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

ADVANCING SHARED WELLBEING IN THE WORLD

ADVANCING SHARED WELLBEING IN THE WORLD

Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua

The wellbeing of the human person is highly connected to the enhancement of the dignity of the human person. In preparation for the 10th World Assembly of Religions for Peace in Lindau, Germany on August 20-23, 2019, one of the sub-themes discussed by the African Council of Religious Leaders (ACRL) and Religions for Peace (RfP) at the Regional consultative forum which I facilitated was,“Advancing shared wellbeing by preventing and transforming conflict including war and terrorism”.Advancing shared wellbeing calls for peaceful co-existence. This is because God created humanity as a community. The mission of the human person on earth is to love God and serve him while the vision of the human person is to be happy here and hereafter with God on the last day. We therefore need to be aware and conscious of the value God has placed on humanity. The dignity of man and woman calls for respect for each other and one another. Shared wellbeing calls on human beings to be healers to those who go about with wounded memories and broken hearts as a result of human insensitivity. Advancing shared wellbeing calls for debriefing and healing of the memory of victims of violence. Above all, shared wellbeing calls for control of temperaments given that the greatest warrior in the world is a person who can conquer his or her temperaments. 

 

To be a fulfilled person with a sound mind, one need just a little journey into the interior castle, namely the heart to rediscover one’s true identity. The value of a person is far above any material value. This is because the destiny of each one of us is a final union with God. This topic calls for the need to make this world a better place. Yes, a world conducive enough for the glory of God and happiness for every human being. The reference point of our enquiry in this discussion is Shared wellbeing which cannot be realized without dialogue. This includes the courage to apply the values of our different religions to the context of our daily life. The ultimate goal of every Christian is to be like Jesus in words and deeds while people of other religions try to imitate the ideals of their religions. This is not impossible. A lot of men and women have been shining examples and models in almost every aspect of human life. 

 

To live together in a community, it is important that you know who you are. This would enable you to appreciate the other as a person with whom you share the same nature. Consequently, a knowledge of anthropological foundation of the human character is important for facilitators of dialogue and peacebuilding. Have you ever bothered to ask any of your parents the events that surrounded your birth? The popular ideas at the time you were born and the people that moved the world around you. These questions can contribute to the affirmation of who you are as a person and your latent potentials to make the world around you a glorious bliss instead of a blaze. Your “person” can create heaven in a wounded broken world through your presence, your smile, your touch, your attention, your care, your tolerance, your patience, your total being, readiness to be the bread broken and shared and the willingness to be the wine poured forth for the world around you irrespective of tribe, colour and religion. The life we live is a dialogue since what we are and who we are speaks louder than what we can ever say with our mouth no matter the oratory and eloquence. We must make a difference to change the world around us. We need to begin from where we are and who we are. The power in us must be seen in the way we share love, peace, joy and attractive attitude of reconciliation.

 

To live like an authentic human being, remember that it is hard to soar with the eagles when you have to live with the turkeys. You need to be different from dividers of communities and those who profit from conflict by analysing your local context and religion in order to build peace and transform conflict. Since no man is an island the need to mobilize other actors for peacebuilding is indispensable. Myths and stories have been used to answer the puzzle of human nature. It was when the people of Israel were in Exile in Babylon they first started to ask themselves about their origin and destiny. These reflections gave rise to the inspired myths of Genesis 1-11, using the Epic of Gilgamesh as a major source. The divine nature of the human person enables him/her to enter into dialogue with God and the entire creation. The human nature has the capacity to dialogue in the context of creation for the wellbeing of nature, humanity and the environment. Wellbeing in the context of creation could mean that there is peace in the heart of humanity and every created thing under the care of man and woman.

 

The first stage in preventing conflict is self-examination and respect for the other. God created the world good. The story of the Garden of Eden symbolizes peace happiness and contentment that human beings would enjoy. The sin of Adam and Eve symbolizes the inclination which the human person later acquired freely to disobey. Consequently, hatred and jealousy was displayed in the story of Cain and Abel (Genesis 3). The result of the sin of Adam and Eve was a serious rivalry and hatred. The scattered smoke of Cain’s offering was an expression of the burning jealousy and anger he was already nursing against his brother Abel. Otherwise he would have tried a better offering when the former was rejected. The case of Cain and Abel is an expression of the passion in the heart of human beings today. God asked Cain: where is your brother? In response to God’s question, Cain asked in return: Am I my brother’s keeper (Genesis 4:10)? To prevent conflict, the human person must learn to be content with what he has and who he is. Greed causes conflict hence we must care for the common good. 

 

God desires the transformation of conflict hence he took the initiative to restore the broken and fractured humanity after the fall of humanity. At many moments in the past and by many means, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our time, the final days, he has spoken to us in the person of his son whom he appointed heir of all things and through whom he made all things (Hebrews 1:1-2). Jesus came to give life and he gave it abundantly (John 10:10). He came as the fulfilment of the promise made by God to his people. After preparing himself through fasting, baptism and conquering the devil that tempted him with food, fame and power, Jesus made reconciliation, forgiveness and peace a condition even for the acceptance of the offering. “If you are bringing your offering to the alter and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother or sister first, and then come back and present your offering” (Matthew.5: 17-18).

 

We can prevent and transform conflict through patience, endurance and forgiveness in accordance to the teaching of Jesus Christ. He says: “If any one strikes you on your right cheek; turn to him the other also. And if any one sue you at the law, and take away your coat, let him/her have your cloak also. And whoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him two. Give to the person that asks you, and turn not away from the person that would borrow from you (Matthew 5:39 cf. Luke 6:35-36). We should understand the need for inter-religious dialogue to educate our people in words and action that fighting in the name of religion is unreasonable. Attentive and sympathetic listening helps each to see the other as a brother or sister capable of loving, speaking the truth, seeking justice, offering forgiveness and sharing compassion. These are the basic values which all religious traditions encourage. They are paths to reconciliation and peace. Let us live to celebrate our successes together and work together to restore our losses. Let us advance and promote the wellbeing of each other such that we can live in peace and harmony. Say no to conflict! Say yes to Peace!