Fr. Richard OMOLADE

 

Human beings are material beings, therefore limited. In other words we are imperfect. The history of our race is one of aiming to be better than we are, of becoming our better selves. It has been a race to perfection, not spiritually but materially. We turn raw materials into other and better products. We now go from one place to another even through telepathy.  Our person to person communication was the myth and fables of generations long gone. The agricultural prowess of our generation would have saved generation long extinct because of famine and hunger. The progress we have made militarily is mind boggling. Compared to the ancients, our level of sophistication is unrivalled.  But is this what perfection is all about? Is this what we should aim at?

Our world is in need of redemption more than Perfection. The same is true of individuals. We need to be better than we currently are, we need to accomplish our goals and leave our mark in the sand of times, but need much more. We need to redeem our beasties selves. Our values are corrupt and our thinking is often irrational and illogical, sometimes beneath the standards we have set for rational animals.  Ours is a race that kills its offspring on the altar of pleasure. We plant crops to eat and destroy them to create scarcity and increase their prices to make more gain. We enslave the unsuspecting and turn them into commodities. We manufacture arms to destroy our kind and call it the peak of civilization.  We snoop on each other and call it technology without borders. We claim omnipotence and look for God when our foundations are shaken. These are not acts of rational beings or deeds of perfect creatures. The so call best of race are debased and the rest of us are powerless to do anything.

 

But then we are still the beloved of God. He loves us with infinite love and sent his Son to die for us. Our future is truly blessed if we have the same mind as God. Our lowly self needs redemption more than the perfection of our race. Our thoughts and actions need to be purged of earthly attachment and selfish interests. As creatures of God we are capable of much good than we have done. Our animal instinct must be tamed to desire only the noble, this is the redemption we need not the Artificial Intelligence that may one day be our undoing.

The world is in ruins and it is all talk by government.  What matters to them is economic viability of their nation. No wonder, accords and treaties are broken and the poor are left to bear the brunt. Nations spend billions on arms while hunger and preventable diseases kill children. We cannot continue on this track. Yes, we must halt this decline, no wonder the wise one said humanity is in need of redemption.  It is not that we can redeem ourselves, far from it. But unless we recognize the fact that we are perching precariously by the edge of destruction precipice, we cannot take the step toward redemption. Self-awareness is crucial and it is grossly lacking.  To redeem is to claim back that which we had lost or had been taken away from us.  This is a fundamental step to be taken even before we can pursue perfection. Of what benefit are the enjoyment of life due to our refinement of nature when inwardly we treat one another worse than some animals do?

 

Consequently, each of us must pursue what makes for integrity. We must aim to be better than we are. When we are good to one another, then we can demand goodness from others and our laws will be enabling instead of dehumanizing. Isn't this what was implied when IRAENEUS said that "the glory of God is for human beings to be fully alive"? Until we attain this height we are still neophyte no matter how much development the world experiences.

Ultimately, world perfection is not our goal but the redemption of that human being doomed to die but destined for life everlasting. Jesus said it all when he said "you therefore must be perfect, just as your heavenly father is perfect." This is not about our society but about each of us as individuals. If we pursue redemption of our body and soul, perfection will follow naturally. Let us begin now.