By Ukamaka Okafor,
Abuja.
The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, Most Reverend Ignatius Kaigama, has challenged political office holders to embrace life of modesty.
Archbishop Kaigama made the appeal at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, Abuja, the nation’s capital, as the Universal Church celebrates Palm Sunday.
The Chief Shepherd reminded political office holders that “to live simply means living a life of detachment and service rather than luxurious and flamboyant lifestyles, oblivious to the suffering of the poor.
“Unfortunately, our political offices in Nigeria are so lucrative and absorb a very huge chunk of our national revenue that aspirants to political offices are often prepared to do everything (good or bad, kind or inhuman) to get in. Because the life of a leader must include suffering and pain on behalf of the people, Christ went through it as He cried: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt. 27:46).
“A leader, whether spiritual, traditional, or political must carry the burden of people and sacrifice for them as in the story that before Jesus entered Jerusalem, He sent two disciples to the village to take a donkey that had never been ridden and to reply if questioned, “The Master has need of them,” (Mt. 21:3) is very instructive. What the Master needed; the owner of the donkey willingly offered. God does not always ask for big things. He does not ask what we do not have. The little things we are asked to give, God often takes them and uses them in great ways. The biblical Moses was asked to give his walking stick (cf. Ex. 4:2-4, 17), David gave his slingshot (cf. 1 Sam. 17:40-58), the widow at Zarephath offered the last of her dough”.
Palm or Passion Sunday begins the week in which Christians specially recall the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, His suffering and sacrifice on the Cross unto death, bearing all the burden of their sins and the evils.
Archbishop Kaigama therefore urged Christians “to be more committed as a mark of Christ ‘s most generous and selfless love. He entered Jerusalem not for a social celebration, but for some painful encounters, which included accusations, betrayal, condemnation, insults, beatings, crucifixion and death.
The Cleric further stated that the passion narrative of Matthew”s gospel “presents the contrast of the joy of Jesus’s triumphant entry to the sadness of His suffering; from the shouts of “hosanna” to the sadistic shouts of “crucify him, crucify him. This reflects our experience of life as individuals, when we may experience joy as well as sorrow, success as well as failure, peace as well as chaos, health as well as sickness, abundance as well as lack”.
In all these, we are enjoined in Philippians 3:10 to know Christ, have fellowship in His passion and to know the power of His resurrection. Matthew narrates that Jesus rode on a donkey and was welcomed into the city of Jerusalem with the people waving palm branches and putting their clothes for Him to pass over. The donkey was a humble beast of burden. That the Lord rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and not on a mighty warhorse like the powerful and mighty, was to show that His kinship was of peace, and He came to serve and not to be served, to reach out to the least amongst us, and to every one of us without exception.
The first reading about the suffering servant from Isaiah was a foreshadowing of Christ, who would suffer trials, endure hardships and torture, but in total submission to the Lord God, recalling to us that true Christian discipleship is not an insurance policy against pain and suffering. Some Christians believe that “with Christ, life will be a smooth sail.” Others sing: “I will not suffer; I will not beg for bread, because the God of miracle is my father”. Today, Jesus teaches us to be patient in the face of the trials we encounter rather than seeking to avoid them at all costs. Saint Paul in the second reading speaks of the humility and obedience of Jesus to the will of His Father through a painful death on the Cross, a humility contrary to the arrogant display of wealth and fame by rulers and politicians.
