Emergency

          Day before yesterday being Friday, I was in the room next to Ezinne's room. For a brief second I wanted to know whether she was pregnant but I had my own problems to worry about. She came to hostel, complaining of a sharp pain in her side. She went to his bedroom and lay down, hoping that it would go away, but it continued to persist. After some hours, the pain had grown steadily worse and finally school driver drove her to the nearby hospital. When the doctors examined her, they found that her appendix had bust and that she was in need of an immediate operation. They quickly wheeled her into the operating room and put her to sleep and cut into his body to remove the diseased organ.

            The doctors later told her that if the operation had been delayed for another day, she would have died as the toxins from the bust appendix poisoned her body.

            The world today is in need of a similar operation. There is within us a diseased part of the body that is poisoning the rest of the whole body. St. Paul, like a skillful surgeon, makes his diagnosis and calls for the immediate removal of that part of the body which is infected with the disease of immorality violating the sixth commandment, "You shall not commit adultery". Today, the 3rd Sunday of Lent, the first reading (Ex. 20:1-17)  is reminding us that, "The Commandment we have Forgotten". We know the truth, but we do not obey it. We who claim to be Christians, do we live up to this name? How many of our Christians have gods in their various homes? Do we still remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy? Go to University Ogige Market Road, Nsukka on Sundays; it is a market day of its own. The sooner we admit this and go back and start over again, the faster we shall get on with God. Let us talk of "This Commandment" as it lies, and go back to where we left off.

            In the Gospel (John2:13-25), Jesus is reminding us that God's house shall be called a house of prayer'; but we make it a den of robbers”(Mt. 21:13). In the Nigeria's churches, people decide for themselves if they should establish their own church. Many claim to be led by God through some sentimental “feeling” in their hearts. In most cases, they will attend Bible colleges and seminaries, where they are methodically drilled to accept their school's beliefs. Every where they preach about money instead of Christ. They will tell you to come to Christ Jesus and you will receive anything you want, like success, business, good life and miracles. That is not it. There cannot be life without cross. Let us turn back to the Lord in this Lenten season and He will save us. Let us prepare our hearts for Easter by setting aside sin and fixing our eyes on Jesus. Pope Francis will always say that, Lent summons us, and enables us, to come back to the Lord wholeheartedly and in every aspect of our life. Just as the responsorial Psalm 19:8 said, "Lord, you have the word of eternal life."

Happy Sunday. ©Izunwaonu