Always be prepared

"Always be prepared to make defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you". 1 Peter 3:15  . ( This was the theme of the World Youth Day held in Rome, Italy 1986, established by Pope John Paul II in  1984)

The aforementioned theme was helpful to me the day I went to the office of Dean of Students affairs University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Prof. Edwin O. . It was around around May last year and it was when the Federal tertiary institutions were on strike, 

I actually went to have my scholarship award letter to be signed and attested by the Dean as demanded by NNPC/SPDC ventures, but before that, I was told by  my roommate  that anytime you have anything to do with Dean, that you should expect this question " have you given your life to Christ"?

 I really doubted him not until that day that the question came  knocking on my door.

It was a long argument as my interlocutor digressed from giving life to Christ to speaking ills of the Dogmas and traditions of holy Roman Catholic Church.  He was questioning the tradition of covering crucifix and sacred images during passion week. 

Unknown to him, he was before a gentleman who's devoid of cafeteria Catholicism and  have gone to different seminaries seeking admission, the admission processes made him abreast with  different church's traditions  . 

Well, in case you don't know why the sacred images are being covered on the passion week?  This is a simplified explanation of the tradition,. ..........

Well, the Fifth sunday of Lent is the beginning of the two weeks of 'passiontide' in the Church. The first week is known as the Passion week and the Second week which we shall begin with the celebration of Palm sunday is known as 'HOLY WEEK'. Going through the readings of the Passion week, you'll notice the INCREASING HATRED the Jews had for Christ. They accused him of being a blasphemer, sorcerer, being possesed by an evil spirit and so on.

The old Gospel reading for Passion Sunday (fifth Sunday of Lent) from the eighth chapter of Saint John's Gospel ends with these words:

“They took up stones therefore to cast at him. But Jesus hid himself and went out of the

temple.”-John 8:59. 

According to Saint Augustine, at this moment when "Jesus hid himself," Christ in fact became invisible by virtue of His divine nature. Saint Augustine writes: He hides not Himself in a corner of the temple, as if afraid, or running into a cottage, or turning aside behind a wall or column: but by His Divine Power making Himself invisible, He PASSED THROUGH THEIR MIDST.

To help signify this mystery, Catholic statues and images are veiled with purple cloth on the evening before Passion Sunday. Jesus "hides Himself." The processional crucifix and other small crucifixes are unveiled for Veneration(Kissing of the crucifix) on GOOD FRIDAY. The other images and statues are unveiled on Holy Saturday. This is the moment at which the fast of Lent ends and the glory of Easter begins. This

unveiling reveals that Christ has revealed himself as risen and victorious..

So in Summary: "The veiling of the crucifixes and statues symbolizes the fact that Christ's

Divinity was hidden at the time of His Passion and death, the very essence of Passiontide."

In our different acts of proselytization, why do you think your religion, beliefs, denominational practices are the best?  

Is this the peace Christ entreat us to preach? 

We utterly complain how our Muslim advocates are after our  Christian beliefs but within the so-called  Christian denominational sectors there has never been a long-lasting consensions..  

In unison with Fr. Ben Agbo, "Philosophical and theological scepticism have remained the biggest blows to modern day Christianity"

Anyone who bagged B.Sc , BA, or whatever will be launching his attacks on their self-acclaimed errors of the Church.  Continue  🙌 

Well, I thank  Dean, for not using his authority to earn arguments to himself, he was void of argumentum ad verecundiam (argument from authority). 

Be a  better Christian 

Be a better traditionalist

Be a better Muslim.

When we do that, peace shall reign.

We shall meet again somewhere here or somewhere there, where we shall know each other better.