CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 2009
“You heavens above, rain down righteousness, let the clouds shower it down, let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up. Let righteousness grow with it. I, the Lord, have created it” (Isaiah 45:8)
This passage from Isaiah is the theme of a very popular Latin song for Advent in preparation for Christmas, the great feast of the Birth of Jesus Christ. “Rorate caeli de super, et nubes pluant justum”. This expresses the eager longing for a new order based on righteousness. The longing of the prophets and just men of the Old Testament resonates in the Scriptures. The world created very good by the Lord had become notoriously evil: “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (Gen 6:5). Having wiped out humanity steeped in sin and rescuing Noah from the deluge that overwhelmed the sinful humanity, God established a new covenant with Noah and all living things. The sign of the covenant is the rainbow: “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it, and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on earth” (Gen 9:16). The promise is that God will never wipe out humanity and created world with flood again (Gen 9:11). That promise presupposes a new deal on the part of humanity – the reign of righteousness among humanity!
Our society is in shambles because of the reign of sin and unrighteousness. Corruption is endemic and systemic. Greed is consuming lives. Wickedness is the order of the day. It is there for everybody to see. Nigeria has the unenviable infamy of occupying 130th position in the classification of Transparency International among countries according to the corruption index showing that of the 150 countries in the whole world, Nigeria is 20th most corrupt country. Is that flattering? The abundant resources with which God has blessed this country are swallowed up by the locusts of greed and avarice. The country has very little to show for the enormous resources while a few people wallow in the ill-gotten wealth acquired by diverting public funds into their private vaults. Armed robbers are no longer satisfied with their loot. Their greed and criminality have evolved into the kidnapping business in which human beings have become cargoes and objects of bargaining. Children and the elderly are not spared the agony of captivity and torture in order to get ransom. The spate of needless killings by armed robbers or by hired assassins or for ritual purposes cries to heaven for vengeance. The society is being systematically destroyed by corruption and heartless pursuit of wealth. Social degradation and human agony are on the increase. Honest and decent members of the society are gripped with fear and dread.
We in Anambra State are suffering the effects of the increase in violent crimes, especially kidnapping. People avoid Anambra State as they flee a war zone. Anambra people living outside our dear State are too scared to come home for anything unless they come with a squad of armed mobile policemen. Who blames them? Social life is being stifled. People are afraid to attend funerals, traditional weddings and church marriages, public fund-raising events and social gatherings, for fear of being kidnapped. Christmas celebration that is the occasion of home-coming for our people will see few people coming home, all because of the greed and wickedness of a few.
If we turn to the political arena, we are confronted with the ugly faces of lawlessness, lies, shameless display of power and greed. Roguery and thuggery go hand in hand. Rigging and other forms of electoral fraud and malpractices mar elections in our society. Politics is a do-or-die affair. Some people want to foist themselves on the people, not to work for the common good but to loot the common treasury. The stakes have been raised. Some politicians are pouring millions, if not billions of Naira into the contest with the expectation to recoup their expenses from the public funds. The society can hardly expect such politicians to be selfless and committed to the common good. The country will continue to be milked, exploited and robbed by the bands of such unrighteous men and women.
Such politicians miss the mark. Pope Benedict XVI writes, “The just ordering of society and the State is a central responsibility of politics. As St. Augustine once said, a State which is not governed according to justice [righteousness] would be just a bunch of thieves: ‘Remota itaque iustitia quid sunt regna nisi magna latrocinia?’” (Encyclical Letter, Deus Caritas Est, no. 28a). Is it any wonder that most people see politics as sharing the National cake? The common people will continue to languish in misery, destitution and shameful lack of the basic amenities of life in terms of potable water, continuous and stable electrical power supply, medical care, qualitative education, good roads and affordable fuel.
Who will save us from the dire peril in which we are? The apparatus of state to fight crime and especially corruption is there. Nigeria has the highest public presence of police, army, and other securities agencies in Africa. But the fight against corruption and other crimes can only be won if security agents, agents of anti-corruption agencies and the judiciary are united in fighting corruption, first by ridding themselves of corruption and eschewing corrupting influences and tendencies in the discharge of their duties. Unfortunately, Nigerians have sad tales to tell of their excruciating experiences at the hands of some members of these agencies of government. The harrowing tales of molestation of innocent people, vandalism and unnecessary and unauthorised killings of Nigerian citizens question the integrity of our security agencies and their commitment to making Nigeria a crime-free society. Is it any wonder that corruption thrives and impunity and recklessness abound even as anti-corruption agencies and outfits are multiplied? It may end up in a situation in which a thief is sent to catch another thief!
Greed may be wrecking our banking system. We hear of billions of Naira given out as loans without due process and security. We hear of abuse of their position by the guardians of the funds of the common people. But I am not sure if the manner in which Mallam Lamido Sanusi, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, is handling the matter is meant to promote the overall good and interest of Nigerians and the Nigerian economy. Many Nigerians like me are sceptical about the ongoing interventions of the Central Bank of Nigeria in the banking sector. To many they look like orchestrated activities driven by personal or group-interest agenda not aimed at the development, growth and stability of the economy and the empowerment of the poor Nigerian investors in the banks. Our banks will be killed or are being killed by destruction of trust. A healthy society is driven by transparency and due process, not by high-handedness and arbitrariness.
From where does our society hope to get salvation? Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:8). The Lord is the source of our salvation! Religion should be the hope of every society. Christianity, especially, is a religion meant for the salvation of people. Jesus Christ brought it as a means of lifting up men and women from the clutches of sin and evil: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (Luke 4:18-19). Sadly, many people in our society are turning to religion with the sole purpose of making money. St. Paul wrote about such people, “Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim 6:10). Such charlatans engage in exploitation of the people, in swindling or defrauding them in the name of God! With false visions, fraudulent prophecies and frivolities in the name of prayers, they destroy the authentic religious sense of the people and set them on the false path of prosperity and materialism. Everybody must be on his or her guard against such people who bring corruption into religion, “for the sake of dishonest gain” (Titus 1:11).
The hope of our society lies in social transformation which begins with ethical revolution, a change in our value system and in our priorities. Nigerians of all classes and at all levels must abandon the way of unrighteousness and embrace righteousness as the way of life. We must be prepared to make the necessary sacrifices to work for the common good and to live righteous lives in public and in private. “You heavens above, rain down righteousness … let salvation spring up.” Let righteousness in terms of truthfulness, honesty and integrity reign in our society! Righteousness will bring security. Righteousness will bring peace. Righteousness will bring development. Righteousness will ensure the use of public resources in the most beneficial way to the society. Righteousness will bring the greatest amount of benefits to the maximum number of people in a society. Righteousness pays! The Book of Proverbs sums it up very well: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Prov 14:34). The birth of Christ, the Sun of Righteousness and the Prince of Peace should make every believer in Christ seek first the Kingdom of heaven and his righteousness (see Mt 6:33). Let us seek the way of the Lord; let us embrace righteousness for our own well-being and salvation and for the common good of our society!
I pray with the Psalmist: “The sceptre of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil. Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart. But those who turn to crooked ways the Lord will banish with evildoers” (Psalm 125:3-5). On Nigeria, on Anambra State and on all of us, peace that comes from righteousness! Happy Christmas!
Most Rev. Hilary Paul Odili Okeke
Bishop of Nnewi
