Category: Opinion

Being A sermon by Rev Fr Peter Obele Abue PhD.

So good we are talking about freedom of choice, right after Valentine’s day.

The book of Sirach 15:15-20, especially verses 17-20 clearly spells out the fact that God has given us humans, freedom to choose what we desire. “Before everyone are life and death, whichever they choose will be given them. Immense is the wisdom of the Lord; mighty in power, He sees all things. The eyes of God behold his works, and he understands every human deed. He never commands anyone to sin, nor shows leniency toward deceivers.” This same God commanded us in the scriptures “You shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery (cf. Ex 20).”

In America today, for example, there is this great divide between those who say they are “Pro-choice” and others who refer to themselves as “Pro-life”. The argument gets hot each year in January as both parties fight over the famous Roe vs Wade controversy. But let’s think about it for a while; what really does it mean to be Pro-choice and Pro-life?

Those who argue that freedom of choice permits them to choose to do whatever they like (with their bodies), say that no one can impose judgment on what they choose to do.
The question is: does that freedom make your action(s) reasonable before God?, since you also claim you believe in God. Read your bible and notice how Jesus differentiates the old and new understanding of these injunctions versus your right to choose to do what you like. He clearly says he has not come to wipe out or water down these injunctions, but to re-enforce them (Mt 5: 17).
Jesus shocked his listeners by saying that even the mere contemplation of these acts is sin (Mt 5: 17-37). Why then would anyone argue that he or she is free to interpret these laws according to their own whims?

When God created man and endowed him with freedom, he meant that we should use that freedom towards enhancing the created order, not to re-create our own universe through erroneous thinking, causing more confusion.

Today, we circumvents all these commandments with the excuse of freedom of choice, in order to create caveats that will permit us to do “whatever we like”. Today, we have all kinds of disjointed ‘freedom’ fighters: gay right activists, animal right activists, etc without a thought on what appeals to common sense of to the law of God. The truth remains thus: You cannot choose to do wrong and call it freedom of choice.

The arguments will continue but the truth will always prevail and truth needs no defense.

Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, Peter Obele Abue PhD, and does not represent Theluminenews, its agent or the organisation the author works for/with.

Christianity or the whole idea of RELIGION is being challenged today by a demand for practical results bordering on satisfaction of basic human needs. Those who emphasize this practical religion insist that Christ did not just come to teach us how to pray and worship, he also came to teach us how to take care of the poor and needy. Although this mentality smacks of secularism and denial of the sacred, at the same token, it is not something we should ignore outrightly especially in our clime, where majority of the people are in need of basic necessities.

Jesus himself reminded us that we are “salt of the earth and light of the works” ( Matt 5:12-16). That It is to the extent we are able to show practical religion, that determines how we become salt and light. The people of Israel thought they were a Light in the world, because of their grand solemn ceremonies in the temple; they were wrong. God is interested in practical  works of mercy and love and that was the light he wanted to see shining on his people.

The Prophet Isaiah commands the people thus: share your bread with the hungry, bring the homeless poor into your house, cloth the naked, be your own brother or sisters keeper, stop pointing the accusing finger, speaking wickedness and increasing the yoke of pain and suffering for others (Isaiah 58: 7-10). These are the things that fail to make our light shine and our prayers heard (verse 9). Christianity is not just about going to church or attending grand religious ceremonies, but also about coming to the aid of those who truly need us. Unfortunately, many deceive themselves that they are religious, when all they do is fuel trouble in their families, congregations or communities; knocking heads together, causing anxiety among peoples, and heightening the problems of poor people by their half-educated principles.

If your worship of God or church attendance is not followed up with concrete acts of charity, or worse still, by wicked acts, you are a church goer who also doubles as a trouble shooter. As someone once said, No religion in the world is greater than kindness. No scripture is deeper than compassion. No ritual is holier than love.  Your beliefs may guide you, your traditions may shape you, but what truly defines you is how you treat others. Don’t just preach your religion – live its essence.  Don’t just quote verses – embody their meaning. Don’t just identify with a label – let your humanity speak louder than words. St Paul warns us that our faith should not rest on “human wisdom, but on the power of God” (1 Cor 2: 1-5). Human wisdom is when we are always rationalising, condemning and judging others at the slightest provocation; when we confuse people with our education, oratory and privileged positions. It is better to use the power of God in life because human wisdom can disappoint us.

Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, Peter Obele Abue, and does not represent Theluminenews, its agent or the organisation the author works for/With

The beatitudes are the content of Christ’s gospel and those 8 principles surely turned upside down the understanding Jesus’ listeners had of the world and society. The beatitudes give us a new understanding of Christianity and a clearer image of God’s kingdom especially as it relates to our understanding of poverty and riches. As a matter of fact, Jesus uses the beatitudes to positively change our orientation about a world that has become so avaricious, revengeful, contemptuous, arrogant and self seeking.

Jesus tells his listeners rather to choose the opposite because the poor would be rich, the hungry would be filled, and the persecuted would be rewarded. What lessons does Jesus mean to impart in this great SERMON ON THE MOUNT? As a starting point, let us consider the first beatitide: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God” (Mt 8:9).

The fact remains that Jesus always associated himself with the poor and here, he declares them, ‘blessed.’ His words remind us in a unique way that God would always take the side of the poor; that the idea of poverty does not necessarily have a negative connotation. However, due to our culture of renouncing poverty, we sometimes perceive these words negatively. It is worthwhile for us to focus on these words as we listen to this sermon. Although an average person desires to be rich (comfortable), to have people under his/her authority like the centurion in the bible, yet Christ said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” What does this imply?

To be poor in spirit has little to do with the lack of possessions. It means we must choose to renounce the accumulation of wealth as a source of happiness or blessings. Our salvation lies with God alone and not with material possessions and we must be content with having little if that would create more room for our spiritual upliftment. Even when blessed with material wealth, what matters most in our life is how we share with the poor and avoid contempt and arrogance. The scripture says in Philippians 4:19 “My God will fully supply whatever we need, in accord with his glorious riches.” Accordingly, Christians must realise that what gives us true happiness and entry into God’s kingdom is not our material wealth but a humble and contrite spirit.

Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author and does not represent Theluminenews, it agent or the organisation the author works for/with.