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Lenten
Reflection
Let's Give Love Its Proper Value In Life:
Lenten
Reflection:
Dear Editor,
Lent is a spiritual process of dying and rising, it is a time of
spiritual growth other than stagnation. We have obviously heard a lot about
repentance, but still we will always need a reminder since we tend to forget
in a short order what we hear. I write to reinstate the certain ambivalence
about the season of lent. For some people, it is a time when they look forward
to receiving encouragements to clean up themselves, other people dread it
as a time of imposed and often meaningless self-denial, the cultivation of
self condemning and a general gloomy outlook that has to be tolerated until
at length the light of paschal shines, there are still other people who heartily
embrace all the penitential prayers and rituals of the season, but who evidently
don't see the connection between these and actually changing their lives.
Now the question for any Christian is, where do you fit in? The period of
lent is a time for deep reflection on total “repentance”, it is
an exercise in practicing virtues to root out vices and evil habits, utilize
this season and build up your spirituality.
By:
Patrick Nwachukwu-Udoaku
Let's
Give Love Its Proper Value In Life:
At a time like this, Valentine Lovers' Day, a larger majority of people very
often make love a projection of frivolity. To them, love implies, relationship
with the opposite sex in the form of sexual abuse, or is it, sexual enjoyment.
If one interviews hundred people mostly the youth and the affluence, on how
arid where they are going to spend Lovers' Day, almost 99% answer will be
on sex fun and in one big hotel or the other. Funny indeed! To this class
of people, love is all fun, sleeping with the opposite sex, drinking sprees,
dancing, squandering and all forms of merriment. To be exact, any love without
serious commitment, compassion, willingness to give and not expecting reward
or the haves sharing with the have-nots, is as good as loveless love.
At this juncture, let us find out what love is. According to Jose Ortaga Y.
Gazette, a Spaniard Psychologist, “Love is a flood that wells up from
the depth of our personality”. Again, the scripture defining love says,
“God is love”. Talking about love still, the scripture says that
three things abide, faith, hope and love, but the greatest is love. Supporting
the text, Dennis Robins says; “To love is to live”. On his own
part, Pope John Paul II contributing, said, “Man cannot live without
love. He remains incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless if love
is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love.., and if he does not
participate intimately in it”. The object of our discussion is centered
on Rev. Fr. Valentine who surrendered his life into the hands of Emperor Claudius
of Rome in order that the Roman soldiers of his time received Christian marriage
and stopped surreptitious living with females. The love and death of Rev.
Fr. Valentine for the sake of the Roman soldiers' marriage, merited him sainthood
which is being celebrated every 14th day of February popularly known as Valentine
Lovers' Day”.
From a glance, we see that love is a donation of self which is tested on the
altar of sacrifice and the bible certifies this in, quote; (Jn 15:13), “No
man can have greeter love than this, to lay down his life for his friends”,
unquote. It has now become clear that to understand love to mean illicit sex
affair with the opposite sex, especially on Valentine Lovers' Day, is a negation,
an act of frivolity on what Rev. Fr. Valentine died for and it is sin.
Rather, Valentine Lovers' Day should be seen as a day for solemn prayers,
adoration, reflection and a day one can undertake honorable deeds to God and
humanity. Nelson Mandela served 27yrs imprisonment for the love of his country
South Africa. In Nigeria today, a little girl of 14 years Vivian Uchechi Ogu
from Mbaise has put the name of Imo State and Nigeria on the map of nobility
by dying a martyr and a virgin for the love of God, thereby marching faith
with good work. One Engr. Arumemi Johnson from Benin has left a foot print
in the building of Ahiara Cathedral for the love of God and mankind. Some
people have single handedly built churches around, motherless baby's homes,
etc, for the love of their people.
All these are clear indications of true love that can identify people of God
while a few people practice this true love, majority do otherwise in this
country, Nigeria. When a political leader dwells on money laundering when
the masses die in penury, is sure sign of hatred and not love. When the rich
overlook the poor, oppress them and deny them justice, it amounts to outrage.
When one lives life of calumnizing others, it is sheer wickedness and hatred
and those practicing illicit love affair be it on Valentine Lovers,' Day or
not, is not love but deceit because leading one another to any act that robs
him or her of God's grace at any given time, amounts to endangering his or
her soul should death strike. Let us therefore, practise true compassionate
love by visiting destitute, the poor and needy and by smiling with our families
on Valentine Lovers' Day because according to Denis Robins, to love is to
live.
Happy Valentine.
By:
Sir. Prince G. Nwaokonko