My KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD

Fr. Stanley Ekwugha

Some years back, I told a story of a certain parish in Nigeria where the youths locked up the Church and barred the parish priest from entering to say the Sunday Mass. I happened to know that one of my boys was among those that carried out the protest. He used to be a quiet young man. I could not believe it. Hence, I placed a call on him and he affirmed that he was among the angry mob. When I tried to express my shock and disappointment, he retorted by reminding me that they are the “Church militants.” Obviously, my son did not understand what Church militancy means. He must have heard it in the Catechism class. However, in a society ravaged with the menaces of armed robbery and kidnapping, militancy means violence. And that is what my son understands. For him, the youths are the military wing of the Church ever ready to destroy, plunder and kill. Unfortunately, that is not what Church militancy means. By that we mean first of all that all the baptised on earth are the Church militants because we are at war with principalities, ruling forces, and powers of darkness. It is also used in the communion of the saints to distinguish them from the souls in purgatory (suffering Church) and the saints in heaven (Church triumphant). Where catechesis has no values again, people are bound to have a wrong understanding of Church militancy. Sadly, my son was one of the victims.

There are many victims of poor catechesis in our Churches today. The Nigeria media was replete with the news of Fr. Ejike Mbaka being declared missing. Before he could reappear, we saw the consequences of poor or no catechesis. The sympathisers, fans and followers of the missing priest exhibited an uncultured attitude. 

They marched to the bishop´s court chanting irate songs, cajoling the bishop and ended up destroying a lot of things there. That is their understanding of Church militancy. The issue is that till now, we do not know actually what happened. The dominant narrative was that Fr. Mbaka was invited by his bishop and never came back. 

We do not know whether he was whisked along the way. We do not know whether the bishop as his superior asked him to have some rest. We do not know whether he went to a mountain or a nearby monastery to have a quiet time with his God. His followers did not sit down to digest suggest possibilities. Their anger was not even on the government nor on the police but on the bishop. 

Could it be that his bishop kidnapped him? Could it be that he (bishop) organised gunmen to waylay him? It sounds crazy to a sane mind but to these fans of a charismatic priest, everything evil could be committed by the bishop. 

This reaction obviously showcases the quality of our catechetical formation. It reveals nothing but a Christian version of Almajiris. It shows the dangers of personality cult. In one of the WhatsApp platforms I belong to, someone gave an erudite analysis of the situation as a warning that the institutional Church is about to be taken over by the charismatic Church. But no charisms should be exercised outside of the institutional Church. However, it is a time to be on alert. While the institutional Church remains indispensable, it can degenerate to a mere structure devoid of life. If there is no downward life transference, soon the Church will be empty and the hierarchy without meaning. The people will then by law of immediacy follow whoever that is closer to him. Fr. Mbaka has touched lives and has a lot of people to feed. In a country where the government does not take care of the people and the Church bureaucracy is high, the people have no choice but to follow a shepherd closer to them. However, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Father. Also, when the priest shepherd becomes the final bus stop without further reference to the ecclesiastical authority, then another problem is at the corner – the deification of the priest. He becomes all and all, the messiah of his people and the congregation degenerates to a colony of fundamentalists. No priest is on his own. He received his ordination from a bishop after putting his hands into the bishops and vowing allegiance. It is the duty of an influential priest to tell his followers bowing down before him to stand up and remind them that he is only a human being. 

What the fans of Fr. Mbaka did could also be understandable in a way. A behavioural parallel could be the reaction of Peter when Jesus was arrested. He could only draw his sword and slash off an ear. But the reaction of Jesus is also to be noted here. He restored the serrated ear to its position and preached peace to the belligerent Peter. I expect Fr. Mbaka to call his followers to order. He should realise that they have no moral formation. It is time for him as their father to sit down and teach them peace, love for the Church and respect for her leaders. There should be no power tussle between the institutional Church and the charismatic Church as both are the same. However, Jesus told Pilate that his kingdom is not of this world. If not, his angels would have fought for him. 

Likewise, our kingdom is not of this world as we are coregents with Christ. However, the kingdom is in this world and manifests itself in form of love, truth, justice and peace. It is a kingdom that offers life in fullness to humans. Wherever such is practised as in Fr. Mbaka´s apostolate, one notices an ecclesial identity of presence. That it is not of this world means it does not owe its origin to any earthly source. It wells from God and flows into the entire created order. It is a kingdom that abhors violence. It is a kingdom that subsists in the Church but transcends her frontiers. It is a kingdom that loves the Church and respects the hierarchy. Anything contrary to this, is against the spirit of the Kingdom.

To the young people of Fr. Mbaka´s adoration, you have to retrace your steps. You need to strike your breasts and apologise for your actions were a demonstration of religious fundamentalism and fanaticism. Your too are the Church militants but not in the Nigerian understanding of the word. Please, render your military service to the Church. Do not fight the Church, she is your mother. 

Use your youthful energy to fight for the Church. Enter the forests instead and purge it of the herdsmen elements. Acknowledge the bishop as Fr. Mbaka´s superior. Honouring him and abusing his bishop is like honouring your and abusing your grandfather even before your father. It is an insult to your father. Abusing the bishop is an affront on Fr. Mbaka. If you love him, respect his bishop. Fr. Mbaka ought to be proud of you if you love the Church and not the other way round. Once more, our kingdom is not of this world.