"SPARE, O LORD YOUR PEOPLE"
LENTEN PASTORAL

By:
Most Rev. Dr. V. A. Chikwe
(Catholic Bishop of Ahiara Diocese)

ASH WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2005

INTRODUCTION

“Spare, O Lord your people” (Jl. 2:17) with these words the prophet Joel asked “the priests, the ministers of the Lord” in the past to “weep” for the people of God (Jl. 2:17). He asks us to do the same today. And his words have become familiar Lenten appeal. We heard them last year and we will hear them again next year; and, as such, some Christians have become accustomed to hearing them and are no longer listening to them.

But those words have perennial spiritual effects. In our seminary days, if we don't sing “Spare, O Lord your people” in Latin Pace Domine… - I felt lent had not started. I think other seminarians, today, do feel that way.

Those words excite our emotions and inspire in us acts of repentance and penance seen in the number of people who receive the ash on Ash Wednesday, even if they do not receive Holy Communion. I know some non-Catholic Christians do come to us to receive the Ash. I am told that even some non-Christians do not miss the Ash Wednesday.

Akin to the words of prophet Joel's plea is the plea the priest makes at every mass: “Deliver us from all anxiety”. With this plea which immediately follows Lord’s Prayer the priest asks the Almighty father to grant us peace in our day and that through his mercy we be delivered from all anxiety. To this plea the faithful respond: “for Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever”.

The state of anxiety is a true manifestation of the absence of peace. The tendency to forget that to Him belongs all power and glory even if we say it at every mass is always there for some of our Christians.

PART 1 : ANXIETY, PEACE AND CHRIST'S KINGSHIP

I would like to draw attention to one particular anxiety from which we should pray seriously during this Lent to the Lord to urgently deliver us.

This anxiety, as I see it and I think many of our Christians do also see it as many have expressed this to me, is our confused understanding of the meaning and importance of the kingship of Christ in our lives, especially in the lives of those who wish to replace the kinship of Christ with their own.

Let me therefore warn. Those who do not accept Christ as their personal king and as the king of the world have Herod as their model. They can never have as models the Maggi, the Three Wise Kings who came to Jerusalem from the East looking for the new born king of the Jews and realized the depth of their own kingship by accepting Christ and gave him gifts in submission to His kingship (Mt. 2:1-12). And let them not forget that right from the time of Christ's birth, the kings of this world, felt and still feel threatened: beginning with Herod who massacred all children of two years old and below (Mt. 2:16). Those who today do not see the kingship of Christ above theirs are always killing innocent people. Let them repent and return to the Lord. Like the three kings the wise men from the East, led by his star, let them come to worship him. Their story, which is well known, teaches us a lot of lessons. One of which, according to Bishop Fulton Sheen is that he who sincerely finds Christ never returns to his home through the same old road he came.

As I have just mentioned above, and will later explain, many well-meaning persons in our various communities have approached me with the request that I intervene in this particular problem that is a constant source of anxiety. I am not just responding to those calls but to suggest a solution; and this is, having strong faith and trust in God.

We know that trust in God is the antidote for all anxieties (Mt. 6:25-34). And we must not forget that the Lord's Sermon on the Mount can be summarized in a few words as trust in God. And the Lord's prayer, Our Father is the model of all prayers (Mt. 6:9-14). It is no wonder that the priest pleads, at every mass that the Lord delivers His people from all evils, grants them peace and that through His divine mercy delivers His people from all anxiety.

PART II: CHRIST'S KINGSHIP AND LENT

That Christ is king is one of the three principal accusations made against Our Lord , warranting, according to the Jews, His death. The other two concerned who He was/is, what He did could and would/could do. As to the question of Who He was/is let me mention quickly that Christ was accused of claiming to be the Son of God. And the Jews rightly understood it theologically that He, in that claim, made Himself equal to God (Lk. 22:70-71).

As for what He did, let me for example mention His raising Lazarus from the dead. The Jews wanted to kill not only Jesus but Lazarus also for people began to believe in Christ because of him (Jn. 12:9-11). And for fear of what He could and would do they accused Him of saying He would destroy the temple and replace it in three days with one not built with hands. And they too believe He could do it and that the Romans would come to take over their nation (Mt. 26:60-61; Mk. 24:57-58).

I want to elaborate a little more on the accusation that Christ was claiming to be the king of the Jews and was forbidding people to pay tax to Caesar whom they claimed at that moment as their real king (Lk. 23:2ff), because the kinship of Christ, indirectly, formed my last year’s Lenten pastoral letter: Truth frees us all. It was the question of whether He was a king that Christ introduced the nexus between truth, His kingship and the kingdom of God (Jn. 18:37). He made it clear that He was born to be king and to witness to the truth, and that those who accept this truth are of God (Jn. 18:37). This situates our reflection on Christ's kingship within His passion and, therefore, within our Lenten observance.

And the more I read the passion according to St. John, the more I realize the wisdom of the Church in having it read every year. The crucial issue was accepting the notion of kingship that did not superimpose itself on Christ's, nor impede entrance into the heavenly kingdom.

At the time of His passion, the interaction between Pilate, Herod and reference to friendship, with Caesar, all help clarify, for us, the notion of Christ's kingship (Jn. 18:2-19-16). Its Salvific nature, contrary to what both the Jews and the Roams, then believed was already being experienced in many people's lives in spite of themselves. The release of Barabbas is a case in point (Mt. 27:15-26; Mk. 15:6-15; Lk. 23:18-25; Jn. 18:39-40).

Despite his notoriety, the grace and merits of Christ's suffering and death were being actualized futuristically in Barabbas. At His death, the centurion and the men with him acknowledged that Christ truly was the Son of God (Mt. 27:54). Again, the objection of the Jews was of no avail and they could not persuade Pilate from admitting the truth which he officially recognized and wrote in Hebrew, Greek and Latin: “Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews” (Jn. 19:19-22). He thus witnessed to Christ's kingship, and this, perhaps, as a result of his experience of the merits of Christ passion and death.

PART III: FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST THE KING

As followers of Christ, did we not become such through our baptism into his death and resurrection? And, are we not all at baptism, anointed with chrism as “Christ was anointed priest, prophet and king”? Do we all not participate in that kinship? So, let us all recall the graces of our baptism and remember that if we re-encounter Christ this Lent and do not return to our old selves of sin, then we must have interiorised the words of Joel. “Spare, O Lord”!

Followers of Christ the King were so convinced of His kinship that they once tried to carry Him off and make Him the king of their wish. They were so faithful to Him that they defended Him. Before the appointed time, when the many times the kings and principalities of this world wanted to kill Christ they could not because they were afraid of the people. For instance, they reasoned that the arrest of Christ would not be “during the festival for fear of the people”. (Mt. 2:3-5; Mk. 14:1-2; Lk. 22:1-2). But today we have followers of Christ who are afraid of the kings of this world a very big contrast that brings home to us the danger facing us today.

Another danger is that as the leader and representative of his people, an Eze could be or taken to be the embodiment of the people and values they cherish in the sense of like Eze his people.

PART IV: PRAYER FOR KINGS NDI EZE

In the reading of Ash Wednesday, while the prophet Joel calls on priests to pray to the Lord to spare his people, Saint Paul the apostle asserts: “We are ambassadors for Christ.” In Ahiara diocese, I am Mbaise people's Special Ambassador for Christ. I am also, as this Special Ambassador, the only Chief Steward and Special Servant of Christ for you, my people, Mbaise in Ahiara diocese. And God is, therefore, “appealing through us” to you to reconsider the concept of Ezeship you have and how you relate it to your understanding of autonomous community.

For this reconsideration, our prayers for the Ndi Eze (Kings) are now necessary as St. Paul long instructed. “First of all, then,” Paul tells Timothy, (and I make his word mine and direct), “I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). This prayer for us is more important now so that many of us can correct our wrong notions of people, leadership and autonomous community. Some people claim leadership roles based on their success in “creating” autonomous communities as their kingdoms in order to break the unity of an existing communities.

In my first Lenten pastoral Letter to you all in 1988, which you can now read again, thanks to our diocesan website, www.ahiaradiocese.org, I emphasized the priest/people and people/priest unity as the only way to a harmonious growth and development in our diocese. And it has been effective as you all can testify. I believe that the same unity applies to and can work well for the wider community.

In that Lenten pastoral I specifically said: “Let it be clear that the erection of a new diocese, does not mean, nor imply a 'division' in and of an old diocese. It is significant that 'erection' in this sense is an ecclesiastical term which explains best that administrative arrangement which helps the Church to bring the Gospel nearer to the people of God. The erection of a new diocese, though involving demarcation of areas, does not break ecclesial unity, nor a break in ecclesial Communion.” (Correct Notion of the Church. n. 8).

By analogy, the creation of an autonomous community should not introduce confusion and stunt community growth and development as we are witnessing in many communities. This is traceable to two types of Ndi Eze that are emerging in clear distinction: Ndi Eze Odinala and those, for want of adequate vocabulary, I simply call Eze Odinego whose generic horrific title is Eze Omego, as distinct from the generic honorific title of Ndi Eze as Ndi Eze Omenala.

Ndi Eze Odinala, the real traditional rulers, also known as Ndi Eze Omenala and their wives, Ugoezes enjoy my respect and encouragement because they understand leadership as service to the people. And both service and leadership reflect in them the ideals of the Igbo concept of Ohaneze as people/leader unity in accordance with Igbo Traditional Law and custom.

Ndi eze Odinala are such because they know that Oha ka Eze in the Igbo traditional sense, that an Eze cannot be against or be without his people. Our Traditional Rulers know that the Imo State Government, right from the then able leadership of our first post-civil war civilian Governor, His Excellency, S.O. Mbakwe of happy memory to the present Governor, has linked the Ezeship with the people, and made the distinction between an Eze and a “Chief”- previously “warranted”. All this is made clear in 1999 Imo State Official Gazette Law n. 3. Section 20 (1-3).

The Ezes Odinego, whom I find it difficult to identify as and among Ndi Eze are the made-in-the-State Government House Ezes whose claim to leadership is either through as man-know-man or through the Law Courts by buying their ways through. They do not accept and therefore, do not uphold the Igbo Traditional Law and Custom regarding Ohaneze policy and practice.

For the Eze Odinego leadership is a business and a means of enhancing their business ventures. Their interest is overt in Iwu Nkwu literally meaning closing of palm tress”. This is the traditional Igbo practice by which the fruits of palm trees, in a community, for one month were used by the community, for community development. But the Ezes Odinego's abuse of this Igbo communal self-help economic practice easily translates the whole community economy into their business enterprise.

Because of their connections in high but corrupt places they think and try, like their predecessors-the “Warrant Chiefs” chosen by the ex-colonialists against their people to show them the Eze Ka Oha. The Warrant Chiefs were so denominated because they lacked traditional claim to leadership, power and authority over the people.

The word, “warrant” in their connection means: lacking traditional power and authority. The Warrant chiefs were imposed on the people. Igbo traditional power and authority demand the sense of justice and truth backed by moral probity known to our ancestors as the principle and practice of Ofo na Ogu. And all this Ezes Odinego lack and shun.

I hope the Ezes Odinego have read the current Imo State Law that up-dates and gives the present guidelines regarding Ndi Eze and autonomous communities gazetted and signed into Law in 1999 by His excellency, Chief Achike Udenwa. It came into effect on 22nd December 1999. For those who have not read, I refer them to section 20 (1-3) on Traditional Rulers.

CONCLUSION

I mentioned above that a cross section of our communities - Christians and non Christians, titled men and non titled have, on different occasions and in different places, implored me to intervene in the crisis being generated by the Eze odinego and cronies.

And even some people, engineered by Eze Odinego, have expressed, to my notice their displeasure with the creation of two or more parishes in one autonomous community; others do not see why two or three autonomous communities can be in one parish. They have forgotten that there was a time the whole of Mbaise that is now one diocese was under one parish. Their theory is one autonomous community one parish. How I wish that is practicable in the 74 autonomous communities we have in Mbaise and more spring up!

COMMITTED PRAYERS, BUT WITH A SPECIAL APPEAL

We are still committed to praying for Ndi Eze so that we lead a tranquil life. Let the Ezes Odinego and their cronies be convinced that parish creation is ultimately determined by pastoral needs and not by political interests.

I believe many of our faithful do recall what I said towards the end of last year during my pastoral visit to Ogbor Nguru, because our diocesan Newspaper, The Guide published parts of it (cf. The Guide, Dec. 5, 2004, vol. 6, n. 22). I said, “Peace in Ogbor Nguru is non-negotiable.” That same message was and is still addressed not just to Ogbor Nguru but to any communities in Mbaise from Akpodim to Akpim, from Amuzi to Amuzu, from Eziudo to Enyiogugu, from Ihitte to Ihenworie, from Lagwa to Lorji, from Onicha to Obeama, from Uvuru, Umunama, Umuhu, Umuevu to Umuokirika, etc., and elsewhere in and beyond Mbaise that have witnessed, are witnessing and God forbid, may witness crisis because of Ezeship” tussle and the machinations of these sponsored sycophants, the Ex this and Ex-that, who are everything, not excluding being ex-convicts, manifest autonomous community syndrome and believe in it more than in God as a source of their personal aggrandizement.

I did sound a note “of warning to all those individuals and groups involved in the destabilizing of the peace in Ogbor Nguru.” I hereby repeat the same notes of warning and caution in very clear terms. Those behind the crises in many of our communities should desist from their nefarious activities lest they incur God's wrath. I also warn those who do not heed this advice and do not want to cultivate love and peace that they risk drawing the burning wrath of God on themselves.

I implore the Prince of peace, the King of Kings, the Lord of lords to touch the hearts of all those who engineer crises in all communities in Mbaise and beyond to repent and act otherwise so that we experience the peace of the good Lord in our day. And from Ezes Odinego in particular, “Spare, O Lord your people” that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life!

Given at:
Maria Mater Ecclesiae Cathedral, Ahiara Mbaise
Ash Wednesday, February 9, 2005