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From Calamity to Ecumenism

Ikenna Paschal Okpaleke

Act 1, Scene 1: October 16, 2019 – tanker fire incident at Ochanja market! Act 2, Scene 1, 2, & 3: Few days after the fire incident, precisely on November 3, 2019, the maverick controversial General Overseer of Mountain of Holy Ghost Intervention, Prophet Chukwuemeka Ohanaemere, popularly known as ‘Odumeje’ donated 4 million to the victims in a dramatic form, very characteristic of him. The Anglicans also donated a sum of 10million Naira. But before them, on November 19, 2019, the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha donated 27million Naira to the victims. The official Facebook page of the archdiocese states that the amount … Continue reading From Calamity to Ecumenism

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#SV – Who is this?

Ikenna Paschal Okpaleke

Humility and simplicity are virtues that are sometimes rare in our world today, even among religious leaders in the church. Yet, this is one of the greatest human examples that Jesus left for us. Incarnation was all about the humility of the Son of God. The betrayal, passion and crucifixion of Christ are all about a humble surrender to God, in allowing oneself to be immolated for the life of the world. What other lesson can we easily learn? Instead, most preachers of the Word have focused on power: the power to do miracles, the power to cast and bind, … Continue reading #SV – Who is this?

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#SV – Glorious Misfortune

Ikenna Paschal Okpaleke

God does not remove the storm. God rather guides us through the raging storm. The birth pangs have always remained part of a mother’s experience. Yet, the praise of God resounds at the birth of a child. Sometimes the mother may not even live to see this joy. Sometimes the mother and child do not live through the pangs. Joy and sadness often seem intermingled, so also love and hate, good and evil. Jesus asks us to focus our minds on the glory of God, which the Spirit speaks to us in the midst of all our troubles, trials and … Continue reading #SV – Glorious Misfortune

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Coronavirus and our Naked Humanity

Ikenna Paschal Okpaleke

Coronavirus, like every global crisis, has exposed our helplessness and vulnerability as human beings. It has shown the limits of what we can or cannot control. Apart from the ability to control the virus, we struggle with a lot of other things, including our faith, our greed, and even our very humanity. We see this clearly in the polarization within the faith community. When the recommendation for social distancing was made as a way to flatten the curve of the spread, the faith community had to take a tough decision. Churches were to be shut down, allowing for only private … Continue reading Coronavirus and our Naked Humanity