“And for all things give thanks; this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (NJB)

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (RSV)

I Thessalonians. 5:18

In 2017 while I was working in Ibadan, a man called me to find out how much it takes to sustain a person with an oxygen per night. I thought it was one of these online jokes and wondered what prompted the question. It was then he informed me that his mother spent just few nights at a hospital in Onitsha and was given exorbitant bill to pay. Wh

“If you love me you will keep my commandments. I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete [allos parakletos] to be with you for ever” (Joh 14:15-16 NJB).

It is not possible to keep the commandment without the Holy Spirit. Those who tried it got the same result. It was my experience. You cannot keep the commandment unless you befriend the Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit. The five reasons are:

1. 1.      The Language

Sometimes people call to ask me, “Father, is this a sin?” or “Which is the will of God? I do not want to offend him.” Who can understand the commandment of the Lord? The commandment of the Lord is the Lord’s way. It is difficult to understand. The language of the commandment needs to be taught. The Psalmist is always saying the same prayers: “Make me to kno

To say that no language is used more frequently in liturgical celebrations in some local churches in Nigeria will be inaccurate. It is obvious. And to say that a language dominates liturgical celebration in the Church in Nigeria is fallacious. The validity of such assertion should be in reference to particular churches. To claim that a particular people is the soul of the Church is absurd. The language of dominance is alien to Christianity. It is a sin against charity. It is uncatholic.

Contextually, that a language is used often does not mean that it dominates others, because one must consider who uses the language, where, and when. Anyway, this is not the reason for this write up.

Actually, we can achieve a balance in the use of liturgical music in the Church and lay to rest the unhealthy struggle of the language of dominance. The church is holy, one, universal and apostolic. Thu