My Temptations, My Salvation, Part 1

I am sitting on my chair and my mind is flooded with all sorts of evil things I should be doing. I am walking on the street and it tells me to really consider the option of perversion that it presents to me. I am praying and it makes me recall events of past times, events that were very sinful. it makes me appreciate those events to the extent that I long for it over again. And yet, I am still praying. My mind is filled with evil thoughts which prey and pray on me to succumb. Guess what? I am human after all.

We all experience these kind of unfortunate scenarios in our lives and so it should not be new to any one. Temptation is everywhere and we cannot just avoid. I am striving for an upright life, but it just seems to be eluding my very grasp. I have called out to God for help, and yet, I fall deeper into what I am trying to avoid. These are all life-experienced situations that no one can run away from. Let it be said that for He who enjoys and glories in a life of sin, such hardship is hardly seen and hardly felt. This is because he has cut off every element of his attachment to God. But you who are constantly struggling to lead a spiritual life, the whole of hell is let loose on you, and you find that you are engaged in a battle that is very difficult. Let me assure you that the very minute you decide to give up your stand and give in to the antics of the devil, you in a way become free, because, then the evil one has no need for you and so he goes off to someone that is more worthwhile. When you decide to give up the fight for the salvation of your soul, then you condemn yourself to the slavery of the devil, an eternity in total regret. There is the need to be vigilant and to stand up against the antis of the evil one (1Pet 5:8-9). When you decide to give up, this is what will happen to you:
there was a man who went into the bush looking for a fruit to eat. He searched and searched hard and finally he came upon two very beautiful looking orange trees. Indeed one was more beautiful than the other and immediately, he went straight for the best looking. To his surprise, the fruit of the tree tasted bad, and so he left. He went to this tree because, to add to its beauty, it was easy to reach. The other tree was very difficult to get to, but he had no option. He began throwing stones and poking the tree with sticks. He so disturbed the tree that in His bid to get to the fruit, he ended up wounding the tree. He still did not get the better of the tree- he did not get the fruit. The more he tried, the more convinced that this tree would taste better, and so he hungered badly. He even went to the extent of calling on his friends to assist him get some of this fruit so that they could enjoy it together.

the fact about the story is that the tree with the good and tasty fruit was wounded, in a bid to get to it by those hungry men. Let it be said that as regards the faithful Christian, you are a tasty fruit for both God and the devil. while God desires that you last in your taste and further this good taste forever in heaven, the devil delights in your taste as a means to getting you to be as tasteless as the first tree was. realize today that in life as Christ advised, if you lose your taste, then you are worthless (Mt5:13). A good tree can never bear bad fruit, and that tree that is good should remain good.

Our temptations are our door ways to salvation, because you know that if you succeed in holding up, which is dependent solely on God, but also on your co-operation, what you gain is the inheritance that has been prepared for you since the world began. And yet our temptations can also be the door way to our damnation. Ask yourself, is that what you want? let us not trivialize the fact that there is eternity- heaven and hell. Do not feel that as a Christian you should not be tempted, because, temptation did not spare the Son of God. It will lead you to heaven, your perseverance is what will win you your life. All that is needed in temptation is perseverance, if that is lacking then you will lose. You cannot win in this battle with temptation without seeking the help of him who was tempted but never sinned- Christ. No matter how fierce the battle is, you will ever win, because , you have a grand commander who is a victor in all circumstances, Christ. Fight alongside Him and you will be victorious. Fight against Him or refuse to fight at all, then you will lose. God loves your life and has total interest in you. Let your temptation be your salvation, because that is what it is all about.

Isaiah 55:8-9

reading that text you will come to realize that the ways of God are very and can be very hard to decipher. and yet we believe that all would work out well for he/she that believes because all come from a God soooo good. but how can God allow his children feel pain, I mean very painful pains? it is strange is it not. well Isaiah 55:8-9, gives one the answer.

Advent: The Message of John the Baptist

Advent: The Message of John the Baptist

An Ode to Nigeria At 50

Stand up Nigerians and recite your National anthem. Yes, recite your national anthem, and remind yourselves of who you are and what you should be. Come to think of it is there any element of truth in that national anthem or was it a product of forced compromise among the warring tribes of this Nation?

ARISE OH COMPATRIOTS... who is this line referring to? Us? Are we really compatriots or combatants. If we are truly compatriots as the line says then we should arise, arise and face what you have turned this country into, arise and see what a nation that boasted of such hope 50years ago has turned into, arise and receive all the insults that all nations have poured and constantly will keep pouring on you, arise and see the hypocrisy and corruption in your land, arise and come to terms with the reality that the catch phrase- Giant of Africa just resides in words. Arise and lament, weep Nigeria because you are a failure, you have failed all who placed their trust in you, and you never stop failing because that is what you are good at.

NIGERIA'S CALL OBEY... obey? you say obey? obey whom if I may ask? Obey those who have constantly provided us with beautiful theoretical standards and have constantly toyed with our wish to see this Nation attain its peak? Obey those who standards of measurement for this country does not move any further than their bellies. How long will you sit helplessly and obey? How long will you be deceived off what should be rightfully yours by those who claim to have your interest? Indeed, as patriotic citizens that we are we are meant to obey cause the Nigerian cause demands it, but in thus situation, disobedience would be a step in the right direction. For 50years you have constantly beckoned and we have all responded, and you have never stopped disappointing us, you have showed yourself to be more of a tyrant than a Nation.

TO SERVE OUR FATHER LAND... I guess you all know who your father is? But if you don't know who he is, I will be glad to tell you what kind of a father you have. A father who is selfish, greedy, corrupt, unjust, troublesome...the list is endless. For how many more years are we to serve this father of ours who is not in any way appreciative of the varying things that his children have done for him? Look at a father who does not care if the name and life of his children is being dragged to the soil by foreigners, look at a father who does not think about the life of his children who have all died in a quest to see him rise to the heights, look at a father who busies himself with trivialities instead of focusing on issues of worth. What do we owe you papa? do you deserve our respect or our scorn? for how long are we to seek out your attention? What sort of father are you? Questions such as these have made many of your children flee for better pastures elsewhere, and you are not concerned? But how can you be concerned, and the more your lack of concern increases, the more you lose your most beloved children. You end up with only those who would love to see your downfall. Nigeria, when you fail to encourage your children, your children would fail to make you proud. Oh my father, I lack the wherewithal to serve you because you have not been a nice dad. You have been a dad whose pleasure resides in seeing your children fight with each other. You see these things and you have kept quiet, all these speak of your lack of concern. And so how can we serve you? I know how, probably by selling our bodies to foreigners in order to get all that you have refused to give us, probably by indulging in theft, by killing for money, by selling our children as salves. All these papa, we do for you.

WITH LOVE AND STRENGTH AND FAITH... these are all virtues that would be generated by those who have received the love of their father, who have seen the strength and resolve, of their father, in seeing that justice and peace maintained, who have seen the unshakable faith of their father, a faith that can move not mountains but planets. And yet our father possesses in great quantum the opposite. He is the chief custodian of vice, this is because all he has trained to lead us in the way of right have shown us how vice-inclined they are. If our father- Nigeria, ever had love then I tell you, that word, LOVE, does not exist. If he does have strength, why does he show us weakness, for even an ant can be able to defeat him in a game of wrestling. If he did have faith, then, it would not be able to move a grain of sand. How can we generate these virtues that would enable us serve our fatherland well? it is just impossible. But if you speak of serving him in vice, then we can all see the possibility and indeed shout HURRAY!!!

THE LABOURS OF OUR HEROES PAST... who are our heroes? And you would say- Awolowo, Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello, Tafawa Balewa, Herbert Macaulay,etc. At the mention of these names, one would think them to be the greatest Nigerians that ever lived, considering what they achieved with respect to Nigeria's independence. To say the truth, they indeed laboured for our independence, but they had very selfish motives. I was reading a book written By Chinua Achebe, and in this book, he outlines the numerous reasons why our heroes are not really heroes. These heroes of ours had only one thing in mind, and that is their development and that of their kinsmen. And that is why Chief Obafemi Awolowo, gave free education to only his tribesmen, that is why he was able to take, Zik's rightfully thumbprinted votes, claiming the absurdity of an Ibo man winning elections in a Yoruba land. That is why Zik sought out refuge in his people and deceived them into removing the then priemer of the eastern region-, who was from the south-south. If these individuals were really who we take them to be, they would not have been so intoxicated by power that they would fail to see that we all share in the Nigerian cause and not in a tribalistic cause. In a way, we can say that they indeed did labour, but it was not for majorly for Nigeria, in fact, Nigeria was the last thing, these heroes of us had in mind. We cannot rule out that fact that that we had very bright shining examples of heroes. If not for their unfortunate over-emphasis on their tribes, our heroes would have been true heroes, who would have set up a great foundation for us to build upon. Taking for granted the British divide and rule policy, our past leaders could have made this nation great, if they were a little more selfless. No they were not, they continued with the divide and rule policy of the colonialists. I am not in any way trying to say that they did not do their best, no.What I am saying is that their best was motivated and directed towards selfish ideals. Each focusing strongly on the ethical divide that separates us in our Nigerianness. We should recall that everything that concern zoning with respect to the spot of the president started in the second republic. At that time, these big names that Nigeria holds so dear were still alive and they even contested in such a malicious beginning. this has had a ripple effect in our days as the North, that has ruled this country for almost 35 years in her 50 years of existence, are still struggling for this post of presidency. They refuse the thought of a christian becoming the number one man in the nation, indeed this has taken a religious dimension. Our leaders past have a hand in all these. Thus I ask how hard did they labour? If the labours of Nelson Mandela, in spite of his numerous human faults, were not selfless, do you think that South Africa would have attained to such heights?
At this point, we should not limit our heroes to those big names we here. indeed Nigerians have had many unsung heroes, heroes who silently gave their lives for the progress of this nation and it is them that we say their labours would not be in vain, even though that is an uphill task.
SHALL NEVER BE IN VAIN... Who are we trying to deceive? If our long forgotten heroes see today's Nigeria, what do they think they would say? All our efforts have been in vain, OK, not all but majority. Look at every sphere of the Nigerian society and judge for yourselves. When Nigerians are not ready to look beyond their selfish interests, how would the efforts of our heroes not be in vain.
TO SERVE WITH HEARTS AND MIND... that is what every Nigerian is called to do, to serve with hearts and mind. Indeed our past leaders have done their best, according to their own measurements and that of their well-wishers, now we are left with the reality of today's Nigeria. What should be our response? Should we keep licking the wounds of the past and blaming past administrations for their corruption? No. We should all realise that like them, our past leaders, the Nigerian situation still behooves on us. We should make well on their failings and further their achievements. Mother Nigeria, has long cried out to her children to heed to her cry of pain. This is the time. Nigeria is 50, so what, we are not too old to begin anew. All that is expected of us, is a change of mind and heart, a change of these elements together with the zeal to serve. We should stand up and correct all the faults of the past, even if it means destroying the foundations of the past and building anew. We should not be scared to act out right, to act out justly, to act in fairness and uprightness. We should put Nigeria before our selves realising that the good or bad of this country is shared by all- saints and sinners, poor and rich, moral and immoral. Do not wait for another person to start what you can start, do not hope that every person would have the kind of zeal you have towards this country. That is why you should begin something good, true, Godly and right. You would always have people with the same hearts and minds accompany you in such quest. Think of the save Nigeria group, it was an individual that started the initiative and this has attracted many like-minded individuals. This country needs our service, because we have no country, no home, and we can lay claim to no land except ours.

Are we NIGERIANS or TRIBAL-ERIANS

I have this feeling that the country Nigeria, is merely a word that lacks any depth of meaning. I mean we are tribally diversified and yet claim to be one nation, one strong, wealthy nation. Who is kidding who? Last week some group of people came from a parish here in Jos, they were really from St Monica's parish Rantya. They cane to visit us here in the Augustinian Monastery. We went into our rooms, that is the Augustinian students, to dress up in our HABIT, and receive these people who had come to see us. During the reception, we were all asked to introduce ourselves and where we are from. This we did. To the surprise of our visitors, they realized that we are also tribally diversified. Being that the Monastery is situated in Jos, some of our visitors who were indigenes of Jos, spoke out saying: "why is it that there is only one person from Jos?" She was very passionate about this, and so we told her, in truth that the other Jos indigene among us had gone out on a community errand. This calmed her nerves down a bit. But we heard, although this was said in whispers, them saying that the majority is Ibo, from either Anambra or Imo state. We all, including our master, did as of we did not hear this. Now after we had finished hosting them, we now went out for a snapshot. Much to my dislike, some of the women started looking out for those that were from their state. A lady met one of my brothers- Bitrus Galadima and asked him to tell her the part of Kaduna he comes from. She was asking because she also came from Kaduna. One of the Ibo women from Imo state also began scouting for those form her state. I am from Imo state, but I did not like the whole scenario, so I hid myself. The same thing happened when the Christian Women Organisation came visiting us. Due to the fact that all of them were from the North, the mixed better with their brothers who also come form the North. Now I do not blame my brothers for allowing such because if I were in their shoes, I would do the same. You cannot snub an elderly person because you despise the way such persons extols tribal association. In class the other day, our Liturgy lecturer spoke of how annoyingly tribalistic the Ibo lecturers in the institution he passed out from- CIWA (Catholic Institute of West Africa), were. They were so tribalistic that they saw all other tribes as non-existent. Indeed I can not argue with such person because he is very right, but his being right is not holistic enough. This problem that he was able to finger out in CIWA, is what is troubling NIGERIA as a whole. Every tribe fights for the welfare of his tribe and for everyone who belongs to his tribe. How disappointing. I have heard severally that very competent persons were denied job opportunities because they were not from the tribe  or the state in which the institution was located. How can a Nation who claims to be united speak of unity, when there is a clear sign of division. Why do we prefer to sweep things under the carpet instead of bringing out in then open? this problem is gradually increasing and if it is not tackled now, the results would be horrific. I heard a story of a man who went looking for a job. On reaching there, he saw a very long queue. He joined the line. He came to realise that every body that entered came out looking sad. At a point he asked some of the people who had already entered, to explain to him what they were asking inside. Due to their sadness, they did not give him any answer. He eventually entered, as his own turn had come. He came to realise what was making people fail the interview- they were asking about state of origin. When they asked him, he replied immediately, that my state of origin is Nigeria. They asked again, and his answer was the same, they asked the third time, because they did not have that column in this Curriculum Vitae, he still answered NIGERIA, with every strength he muster. He did not get the job, but he was not as sad as the rest because, he was true to a course. And that is before we are even Ibo or Yoruba or Hausa, Tiv, Idoma etc., we are first and foremost NIGERIANS. Why accuse the Europeans of racism, when the worst kind of racism is being practiced here? This is a racism that is done by brothers of the same Nation. This is evil.

There is only one way to explain this, we have to go back to where and how it all started. Africans are majorly more tribal than national. The idea of Nationhood is foreign to the African and was indeed brought by those white men that colonized us. Now Africans are of the belief that truly they can live as a nation. We have heard times and times again of tribal conflicts not only in Nigeria but in other places in Africa, like the tribal conflict in Kenya, between the Kikuyus and the Luos. The conflict between the kikuyus and the luos has a historical root, this is what I mean: The British had spent decades trying to keep the Luo and Kikuyu divided, quite rightly fearing that if the two groups ever united, their combined power could bring down the colonial order. Indeed, a short-lived Luo-Kikuyu alliance in the late 1950s hastened Britain's retreat from Kenya and forced the release of Jomo Kenyatta, the nation's first president, from a colonial detention camp. But before their departure, the British schooled the future Kenyans on the lessons of a very British model of democratic elections. Britain was determined to protect its economic and geopolitical interests during the decolonization process, and it did most everything short of stuffing ballot boxes to do so. That set dangerous precedents. Among other maneuvers, the British drew electoral boundaries to cut the representation of groups they thought might cause trouble and empowered the provincial administration to manipulate supposedly democratic outcomes. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/04/AR2008010404300.html) This tribal conflict that runs deep in Africa, has to a very large extent been caused by the imperialists. Even in Nigeria, they used their "divide and rule" policy, choosing amongst the varying tribes, a favourite. And instilling in such tribe the desire to tow their way. They realised that unity would do them more harm than good and as such, since they were siphoning the material goods of their colonies for their development, they ensured that they stayed long, regardless of what might happen in future to the country. I am talking about tracing the history of this evil, and I can firmly trace it to the imperialists. Today in Nigeria, the North- the Hausas are of the belief that they were born to rule, it is because they were highly favoured by the colonialists. Now other tribes have arisen to contest such thought, it is open war. They would rather hold this country to ransom than see anyother tribe rule. Their policy is what led to the tribal conflict between the kikuyus and the luos.
There is also the conflict between the hutu and the tutsis, but whilst they spoke the same language, what happened you may ask? My earlier argument is the langauge has done more harm than good to human relations. While it is noted that language is neutral with respect to evil or good, we should realise that in most things that pertains to neutrality, man and all his inclinations towards evil, make it evil. The Hutu and the tutsi conflict brings out the fact that even in areas, where people who speak the same language but do not belong to the same tribe, such sectional affection and tribal likes can still arise. Language functions under the agent of tribe. In fact, there cannot be a tribe without a language and viceversa. This brings me back to my area of discourse, the African world is determined by tribal influence and not so much by nationhood. I laugh when I hear people speak of One Africa. My laughing is not because I am pessimistic, it is because the facts and history speak more for themselves.  In the tribal war that concerned the hutu and the tutsis, there was news of such genocide in the church. Priests, religious and seminarians were ready to betray the brotherhood/sisterhood which unites them divinely in Christ for tribal considerations.
We are of the belief that the blood of tribe is thicker than that of any so-called nation. The issue to be considered here is the Nigerian situation, I know, but this problem is wider and broader than the Nigerian situation. So Nigerians should not feel that guilty. In fact it is a world problem, it is a problem of man. Ask yourself this, who would you appreciate more, the man who speaks your tongue or the man who does not speak your tongue? Even our colonialist, France to be precise, engaged in a programme that saw the people to whom they were colonizing, get drafted in the French system. They wanted to "frenchlize" them. They were not going to accept the fact that they were French and the people they were colonizing were not. The truth about it all is that man is security conscious not only for himself but also for his loved ones. He would go the extreme to protect and defend one of his own, but would not even bulge for one he does not know. And that is why we have the works of mercy which comes in handy when dealing with such selfish tendencies in man. As I write this, I know that I am not free from this and indeed no one is free from this. But when we see it as a virtue instead of a vice, then that is where our destruction sets in. it has been said on timeless occasions that the church is an avenue for practicing politics and to this thought I concur most definitely. I have experienced situations of tribal considerations in what pertains to vocation and in Christianity.
I am not very old and indeed, I am still a youth, but I strongly believe that Africa before the dawn of these foreigners, did not have tribal conflicts at a high scale. Yes, there was always territorial disputes and the likes, but such conflicts as we have it today was not existent. But for how long are we to keep blaming the colonialists? They have long since left us, but we are still under their influence. Is it that we like a mind of our own? Indeed they, the colonialists, worked and raised up a feeling that was lying dormant in every African tribe. But are we not reasonable beings, can we not carve out a niche for ourselves? Can we not set a trail for others to follow? Why are we still in bondage, even in freedom? Can we not live up to our name as Nigerians, as a nation? What is the problem?
The problem is this drive to succeed and this selfish pull that desires that all good things that life can afford one, come to us alone. Blame it all on man, he is totally selfish, and this has arisen from concupiscence, which is the residual element of original sin. The remedy to this resides only in the grace of God. Let us be truthful to ourselves, man bereft of the grace of God is like man without breath, we cannot do without this grace (let us leave this discussion for another time).
The one sure way to get rid of this tribal evil that is tearing us apart is to drop our extreme tribal attachments, remembering that we are first of all Nigerians before we are either Ibo or Yoruba or Itsekiri etc. The great divide that rules our lives, the division along tribal lines should not be seen in the light as one of primal importance, although it is important. We should realise that God made us into a nation for a purpose, forgetting the fact that we might have come together due to the wrong intention of the colonialists, let us work with that passage of scripture that says all things work for good to those that believe. The new trend in this tribal conflict is the religious conflict faced particularly in Northern Nigeria. Looking deep into it, one would notice a political undertone, all boils down to the wrong notion held by the North, the Hausas, that they were born to rule. We cannot keep depending on tribe for all things, there are things that other tribes can give us that our tribes cannot afford, that is the beauty of variety. Let us make ample use of it, because we have not started using it. Let us consider our neighbour and his/her human feelings regardless of the tribe, when dealing with such people. We are all God's children, let us love in the way we should love- AS GOD'S CHILDREN. There is need for us to rise above this religious or tribal divide that is ruling us from within. Nigerians, focus on what is important, and that is Nigeria. I am not trying to give a solution that would not include me. Every one should realise that we have a part to play as Nigerians to Nigeria. We should forget the hate and malice of the past, we should forget the hurt we have caused each other in the past, and focus on the future that is bright. A compromise should be reached, because not every hurt can be pacified, we are all human beings, but we still have that capacity to love like God's children. Are we really Nigerians or Tribal-erians, you decide.

MARTYRDOM: Self-sacrifice in FAITH or Suicide

In my Philosophy 2, I had an argument with a friend of  mine. Yes we were trying to understand the rationale behind the deaths of many Christ's faithfuls under the name of martyrdom. For my friend, martyrdom is just the Christening of the evil called suicide. Indeed he saw many martyrs as "suicidists" if I may be permitted to use that word. This discussion about the authenticity of martyrdom came up again in our canon law class, and every talk circled round the fact that these individuals who died for their faith are nothing more than people who committed suicide. A perfect example was brought forth and the name of the Saint was Maximilian Kolbe. I admire in fact what Kolbe did, and I think that it was quite outstanding, I guess it is high time we drew a very big line between sacrificing ones life for God and committing suicide. First of all we must understand what suicide is. Suicide (Latin suicidium, from sui caedere, "to kill oneself") is the act of a human being intentionally causing his or her own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair, or attributed to some underlying mental disorder which includes depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism and drug abuse. Financial difficulties, interpersonal relationships and other undesirable situations play a significant role. Suicide is the act of deliberately taking one's own life. Suicidal behavior is any deliberate action with potentially life-threatening consequences, such as taking a drug overdose or deliberately crashing a car. Now let us consider why people enter or choose the option of Suicide. Suicide is chiefly engineered by depression. But what is depression? Depression is a serious mood disorder that affects the way a person thinks, feels and acts. It is not just feeling “blue” for no reason for a day or two. It is a lengthy pit of despair where hope is just a memory and suicide appears to be a reasonable, real choice. Suicide will end a person’s emotional suffering instantly, and it makes the person feel like they are removing one of the causes of pain and suffering for others in their lives as well. Now we know that some people adamantly think martyrdom to be suicide. to those people I will say this: martyrdom is suicide with the virtue of HOPE attached to it, hope in life after, hope that such an individual will behold the beatific vision of God and enjoy in the presence of He (Christ) to whom he/she offered up his/her life. Let us understand now what martyrdom is. Martyrdom, in its traditional sense, refers to the death of someone because of his or her religious beliefs. The term is most commonly used for the early Christians, but also applies to the pagans who were killed when Christianity became dominant. From the Greek word meaning ‘witness’, the term was originally used within Christianity for the Apostles — that is, those who had witnessed Christ's life and resurrection. As Christians came to be persecuted in the pre-Constantinian period, it was used first for those who underwent hardship for the faith, and then only for those who died for the faith. The suffering body plays an important role in the martyrdom accounts of the early Church. In that act of suffering torture and enduring death, the martyr defeated the enemy (identified with the devil) and imitated the suffering and endurance of Christ on the Cross. The truth of the matter is that the one who commits suicide does so with no thought of Hope in mind, he has reached the end of his strength and considers death as the only option. Such an individual would not have killed himself/herself, assuming he did not reach the stage of depression as our definition above, stated. No martyr would love to take his/her life ordinarily in the way a "suicidist" would do. This is because all martyrs did consecrate their lives to God and looked upon their lives not as theirs but as God's. The story of the mother and the seven brothers in the 2 book of Maccabees chapter 7, brings to light the difference between martyrdom and suicide. Now anyone would have thought it foolish that the mother and her children prefer death to life. Why would they not preserve their lives so that they can serve their God with their lives? Can the dead give praise to God? Are we not meant to be in charge of our lives? God has given us this life of ours for us to be custodians of it, thus we have a call to self-defend that which God in his kindness have given to us. Indeed all are called to preserve their lives, but again that same God through the person of Christ says that the saving of our lives means its loss and the loss for the kingdom of God means salvation for such life. Can God be contradicting Himself? No. Now we are called to self-defend our lives, but we are also called to self-defend our faith. In the order of preference, our faith comes before our lives because this world is not our eternal home, we are just here on pilgrimage, we are just here in preparation for our heavenly homeland. What Maximilian Kolbe did and Indeed what all the martyrs did and would do, is live out the life Christ lived while on earth, I call that living in close contact with Christ. What we should all understand is that martyrs gave their lives out of love for Christ. Yes love is what motivated their acts such that they regarded themselves in that light, in the light of LOVE. Why should we place suicide and martyrdom side by side? He who commits suicide is guilty of the sin called selfishness and he who is martyred for his faith, is guilty of the virtue called selflessness. When love reaches the extent that one is able to lay down his life for another, or for ones faith then, that love transcends the normal earthly love that we are known for and attains a new definition, it becomes in every way divine. Divine love is hard to come about nowadays in this world of ours because this world is getting more selfish.

How would you define the act of a parent taking a bullet for his/her child or a friend taking the blame for his partner? What Maximilian Kolbe did and what all the saints do is similar to what a mother or a father does for his child. As a priest He was father to all and he needed to be that which he was- a fatherly figure. Martyrdom is the fullest expression of ones love for God as seen in and translated through love of ones neighbour. Martyrdom is love and although  both martyrdom and suicide fall under the name of self-sacrifice, one is of virtue while the other is a vice.