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Tag: sacrifice

  • Sacrifice of love

    Sacrifice of love

    The Easter period means different things to different people. For non-Christians, the Easter period is just another of our numerous holidays to rest and do some of the things they have not attended to due to their normal work day hectic schedule.

    But for Bible-believing Christians, Easter is the core of Christianity. It is about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a reminder of when the only begotten son of God that had no sin was offered to die for the redemption of the sin of man.

    It is a practical demonstration of unconditional love of God towards a sinful world when in his infinite mercies. He gave his son as a sacrifice.  Jesus was crucified on what has come to be known as Good Friday and he rose from death like no other has on Easter Sunday.  As we mark the Easter, the real reason for the season must not be lost on us all irrespective of whatever faith we profess.

    Some churches usually reenact Jesus, journey to Golgoltha when he carried his cross and was subjected to all manner of beatings and humiliation. I hope those involved in the drama and others who watch don’t only enjoy the fun of the reenactment but are sobered by the  sacrifice Jesus made for our sake .Watching Passion of the Christ film, which some argue is an overdramatisation of what Jesus experienced, for me really drives home the severity of the sacrifice. I fought back tears like many others who watched it experienced the same feeling.

    However, and the question to ask is that if Jesus suffered that much to erase the sins of especially those of us who claim to be Christians why do we keep indulging in sins? Being a Christian is to be Christ-like but not many are. Not many Christians live as if they have ever read the ten commandments.

    Although claiming to be a born again Christian has become fashionable and Churches are springing daily across the country, there is not enough evidence that Jesus, death means anything to many who say they are his followers.

    If it does, and Easter is not just another holiday, as it is for others, many Christians will not indulge in sinful acts as they do nowadays. It used to be that when people claimed to be Christians that they could be trusted to be above board but that is no longer the case.

    So many occupying top political and corporate positions who claim to be Christians have been found guilty of all kinds of corrupt practices that no one is impressed by such claims.

    This Easter should be another opportunity for all followers of Christ to truly be like him not only in words but in deed.

    I have been impressed by Pope Francis who has demonstrated what it is to really be a humble servant of God and hope that other Church leaders who live large at the expense of their followers will learn from his example.

    Easter is a lesson in sacrifice of love through giving. Are you giving enough to the needy around you ? Do you love your neighbour as much as yourself?

  • Cleric preaches love, sacrifice as Catholic faithful celebrate Palm Sunday

    Cleric preaches love, sacrifice as Catholic faithful celebrate Palm Sunday

    Catholic faithful in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday joined millions of their counterparts across the world to celebrate Palm Sunday.

    In some of the churches visited by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), worshippers moved in procession while chanting songs of praise to mark the event.

    Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter, when the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem is celebrated in many Christian churches by processions.

    In the Catholic Church, the event is marked by processions and distribution of palm leaves to worshippers.

    It thus marks the beginning of the Holy Week, which is the final week of Lent.

    It is the week in which Christians celebrate the mystery of their salvation through Christ’s Death and His Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

    At the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, the congregation was reminded of the essence of the celebration.

    In his sermon to mark the day, Auxiliary Bishop of Abuja Archdiocese, Most Rev. Anslem Umoren, urged Christians to imbibe Christ’s life and teachings about love and sacrifice.

    He said Jesus Christ gave up his heavenly glory to live among men and later died for their salvation.

    “No love for man can be greater than what Christ did for mankind’s salvation,’’ the priest said.

    Rev. Umoren said the story was a typical story of God’s sacrificial love for mankind and urged Christians to reciprocate same by keeping steadfast to God’s teachings.

    “It is easier for us to join the Lord in the celebration of his triumphal entry but difficult to join in his passion.

    “Everyone of us is today reminded to stand apart from the immoral aspects of our world. We are called, in today’s celebration, by the Lord to be holy people.

    “We are called to focus on him, imbibe his life, the love that he showed for us, sacrifice and the message that he is passing on to us,’’ he said.

    Rev. Umoren added that the life exhibited by Christ’s suffering and death on the cross was not one of pain and misery but one of freedom and fellowship with God Almighty.

  • Sacrifice for a better future

    Many institutions went on vacation for the Yuletide. But, at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), academic activities went on, writes OLADELE OGE (400-Level Mass Communication).

    It the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), there was no holiday. Academic activities went on as usual. Though many regular students went home to celebrate Christmas, some were stranded on the campus. So, they spent their Yuletide break in the school.

    But for students offering Sandwich programmes, the Christmas was no break. They wrote their exams during the period. The exam began two days before Christmas. For the rest of the days up to the New Year, except on December 25 and January 1, the students were in the exam hall.

    The Sandwich students are mostly working adults. Some are teachers, who want to upgrade their qualifications. A few opted for the programme because they couldn’t go for regular academic programmes.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the students pleaded with the authorities to shift the exam date to January but the management did not oblige. When it dawned on them that the exam date would not be changed, some of them, who had travelled for Christmas, returned to the campus.

    To compound their problem, commercial cab drivers, who ply the campus, were also on holiday. The few that were operating doubled their fares.

    Some of the students spoke to CAMPUSLIFE.

    Mr. Peter Ewhrudjapkpor, who is a 500-Level Sandwich student of Adult Education and Extramural Studies, spoke of the inconvenience the Christmas-period exam caused him. He said: “Frankly speaking, no student is satisfied with the exam period because it made many of us to travel from afar down here to write the exam. Personally, I would have celebrated with my family in my village rather than being alone here reading. And for those of us who don’t have cars, it is a big problem because many of the campus shuttle vehicles only carried chartered passengers at unaffordable fares.”

    He said transportation and water shortage were major challenges most of them faced during the period.

    Mrs. Priscilla Ogbonna, final year Sandwich student of Adult Education and Community Development, noted that it was difficult for students to write exam during the period because “many of us who are self-employed make sales during the period.” She lamented the transportation problem encountered by the students during the exam.

    For Akinrinlola Iyeyemi, 200-Level Geography, spending Christmas in school was not what he planned for. “There is nothing like home,” he said, adding that the “long journey” from Enugu to Lagos was the reason he stayed back.

    He confessed that it was not his first time he would be spending the Yuletide break on the campus. Akinrinlola said staying on campus when students had gone for holiday was sickening, because “to get foods, water, and recharge cards is tasking.” He said he used the period to complete the assignments.

  • Tinubu: we’ll make sacrifice to unseat PDP in 2015

    Tinubu: we’ll make sacrifice to unseat PDP in 2015

    •Ex-governor says ACN, CPC, ANPP merger talks will work

    THOSE writing off the proposed alliance of opposition parties against the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will be shocked at the end of the ongoing merger talks, National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said.

    Tinubu is optimistic that the ACN’s merger plans by his party with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) will work.

    The ACN Leader, who spoke on how to dislodge the ruling party, told The Nation that leaders of the concerned parties are ready to make the necessary sacrifice to form united front against the PDP during the next general elections in 2015.

    According to him, leadership of the three parties have subsumed their diverse interests and differences after appraising the decline in the socio-economic life and general well-being of Nigerians under the PDP.

    The former Lagos governor stressed that leadership is all about sacrifices and working collectively for the progress of the country and the welfare of the citizenry.

    He dismissed insinuations by critics that the three parties are ganging up against the ruling party for inordinate ambitions.

    Tinubu said: “What is wrong in forming association of three political parties for the purpose of fighting a worthy cause? What is wrong in our coming together to cooperate?

    “Sacrifices are made by people and their leaders. We have resolved to forge ahead and if you set your mind to do something, you cannot fail.”

    Reacting to the de-listing of 28 political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tinubu said the move would sanitise the system.

    His words: “There is nothing better than what INEC has done. The weeds must be separated from the crops. If weeds grow in your vegetable farm, you must take away the weeds for your vegetable to grow well.”

    He, however, recognised the right of the de-registered parties to challenge INEC in court, saying that as bona fide citizens, the leaders of the de-registered parties have every constitutional right to seek redress.

    Tinubu compared Nigeria’s electoral system to that of Ghana, where he had gone to observe the last general elections.

    He said: “In Ghana, some political parties scored total votes of about 20 and several others scored about 30 and above. Going by the country’s constitution, those parties are aware that they are already dead.

    “Such parties cannot field presidential candidates for the simple reason that they don’t have any representation in the parliament.

    “The good thing is that the Ghanaian system allows independent candidates to run for election. So, if the operators of the Nigerian system deem it fit to allow independent candidates, so be it.”