Fides Media Living the Faith
By Fr. Pat Amobi Chukwuma
There is a proverbial story of how a bird called Nwa-nza challenged God. It is a little and clever specie of bird on the air. One day, it attended a banquet at the palace of the King of birds. After overeating and overdrinking, it boasted that God cannot do it anything. God looked down from his throne at this small proud creature and laughed. To teach Nwa-nza a small lesson, God cracked its wings and it couldn’t fly anymore.
It fell down, became helpless and downcast immediately. From where it was groaning on the ground, it gazed up and saw different species of bird flying and glorifying God in different rhythms. The stubborn Nwa-nza realized its boastful stupidity and cried to God for mercy.
After days of agony on the ground, God sent an Angel to restore the wings of the repented small entity. From that day till today, Nwa-nza praises God daily on the air singing, “God, you are mighty and marvelous!”
At creation God gave humanity the mandate to conquer the earth. Unfortunately a set of foolish generation in the early age conspired to upturn the divine mandate. They unanimously agreed to conquer the heavens before conquering the earth. Hear them, Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth (Genesis 11:4).
They gathered strong building materials and began the construction of the Tower of Babel. The construction was going higher and higher each day. My people say that if you give a child a nose, it will take snuff. The Creator rose from his seat and said, Behold, they are one people, and have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.
Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech (Genesis 11:6-7). Hence, the Holy Trinity pulled down all they have laboured to build. Also by confusing their language, they could not understand each other again. Consequently, they parted ways. Power passes power.
God creates while man procreates. This procreative power is undoubtedly a divine gift. The other day, I accidentally came across a married couple throwing verbal ballistic missiles at each other. The enraged wife shouted to the wretched husband, Foolish man and good for nothing! If I were God I would not have created you! The worst mistake I have ever made is to marry you.
Remember that I gave you money to pay my dowry. You are a thorn in the flesh in this our ill-fated marriage. The husband retorted, If you talk nonsense I will annihilate you. Remember as a woman you were taken from man. If I minus ‘wo’ from you, you become a nonentity. You are just a disgrace to womanhood. As I stood by, my ears were nearly deafened by the abusive words from the lips of the ill-fated couple.
I wanted to broker peace between them but all to no avail. During the scuffle and my peace brokering, they pulled me down with my immaculate cassock in a muddy soil. I stood up courageously and resorted to binding and casting, because both were either possessed or obsessed.
The Holy Book says that if God does not watch over the city, the efforts of the watchmen are in vain. The same Book says that if God does not build a house, the labourers are labouring in vain. It is a fool who says in his heart that there is no God above. Those who do not believe that God exists are called Atheists. I asked an atheist, Who made you? He replied, I just existed from nowhere.
I asked him this second question: Will you die? He answered, Death is meaningless. At the fullness of time, I will just disappear. I posed the third question: Disappear to where? He replied angrily, Stop asking me foolish questions! The next day I heard that the atheist in question had a serious motor accident and was on admission at the intensive care unit in the hospital.
I took time to visit him. When I arrived he was writhing in pains and was shouting, “God, have mercy! God, have mercy!! God, have mercy!!!” I was dumbfounded. I sympathized with him. He asked me to pray for him not to die. I did so. By God’s grace he recovered and was converted to Christianity. Today, he is a devoted catechist in the parish of his residence.
Often wicked people seem to prosper materially more than the righteous. The unjust freely goes about while the just is in chains. The good stumbles while the bad triumphs. The oppressor is set free while the oppressed goes behind the bar. The rich trample upon the poor without remorse. Even the Judiciary which is the last hope of the common man often derails in her judgment.
The complainant becomes the accused. The goal-post is changed at the middle of play without qualms. The referee automatically turns into a player and scores goal, which is not discounted. Instead of the means determining the end, the end determines the means. The uncommon is now common.
Politics is a clean game. Unfortunately, it has been turned into a dirty game by scrupulous politicians. In a National election the electorates decide the winner. The contestants canvass for votes by displaying their manifestoes. The Independent National Electoral Commission is supposed to be the midwife in elections.
She is a non-partisan commission. She maintains neutrality before, during and after the elections. She counts the votes and declares the winner. It is a constitutional violation if the Commission becomes partisan as a result of corruption.
All powers belong to God. He is justice per excellence. He frowns at injustice. The law court is the bedrock of justice. Injustice is therefore ungodly. All eyes are presently on the Nigerian Judiciary to proclaim justice in the electoral matters before her at the states and national levels. The February 25th Presidential Election in Nigeria did not reflect the will of the voters nationwide.
It was manipulated by the midwife in favour of an anointed presidential candidate. Hence all national and international eyes are on the Judiciary to be fair and just in the petitions filed before her by the aggrieved presidential candidates. God is watching from above. He can do and undo. Man proposes. God disposes!
Let us pray Psalm 94:1-7. O Lord, thou God of vengeance, thou God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; render to the proud what they deserve! O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour out their arrogant words, they boast, all the evildoers. They crush thy people, O lord, and afflict thy heritage. They slay the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless; and they say, ‘The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive. Amen!