Christmas message 2022
By Bishop Donatus Ogun, OSA
Dear Brothers and Sisters, it is Christmas again, the Birth of the Saviour. A notable characteristic feature of Christmas is that, it is all about choices.The word choice explains the entire mystery of salvation, beginning with the creation of the first man and woman: Let us make man, (Gen 1:26), said the good God. The fall of our first parents into sin was also an expression of choice, just as Godโs decision to redeem fallen man, the supreme choice of God (cf. Gen 3). This ultimate choice was realised in the choice of the Blessed virgin Mary at the Immaculate Conception. Godโs choice continued in the selection of Mary to give birth to His Son, Jesus Christ. At the Annunciation, Godโs choice of the Blessed Virgin Mary, there was a decision by the Blessed Mother also to repair the wrong choice of Eve. Maryโs definitive yes, her fiat (Lk 1:38) was redemptive in character, but also a decision for the good of God and humanity.
Every human choice blocks off every other possibility. To be the Mother of God, which embraced becoming the mother of all created beings,means that her previous dreams of spousal love were redefined to fall with the plans of God. The reality before our eyes is that life affords us endless choices and opportunities.
Thus we could say that, God made the primordial choice, and Mary made a choice at the fullness of time (Gal. 4:4) to accept Godโs offer, and God became Man. The action of God is to correct the first wrong choice of our parents, who had the choice and chose sin. Ever since, the good God has not ceased to offer choices to humanity. Some of our choices have created the rather difficult socio-political quagmire we find ourselves enmeshed in. As we approach the next general elections, we are given a fresh opportunity to make choices that would shape the future of our nation. It is an opportunity offered us to pre-exist our leaders, a form of creationism, i.e. to give birth to our own parents. Whoever Christ frees, is free indeed! (Jn 8:36). The Birth of Jesus Christ is the celebration of the freedom God won for us through the Incarnation (Christmas), life and redeeming death of the Saviour. Therefore, as true children freed by God, we should choose only the best candidate for governance after a prayerful and careful observation. We cannot blame the Church or insist that the Church should select for us, this is done through the regular catechesis to inform our choices in life (cf. Mt. 11:6).
God chose to save us because of His goodness, and demands that we make choices to improve on creation. May the Birth of the Lord which we celebrate at Christmas give us the courage to choose only the best for a better Nigeria. Owesena
Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year.
