GENESIS 18:20-32/ PSALM 138/COL 2:12-14/ LUKE 11:1-13
THEME: DEVELOPING A DEEP PRAYER LIFE THROUGH PERSISTENCE SND PERSEVERANCE
“LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY.” This is the request of the Disciples in today’s Gospel. And, through the sacred liturgy, Holy Mother Church places upon our lips this same request: "Lord, teach us to pray." It’s a request we make willingly, however, because so few of us have mastered the art of prayer; so few of us can be called people of prayer. Yet we know that to advance in the Christian life, we must pray, and we must pray well.
The First Reading of today narrates the PERSISTENT attitude of Abraham in accessing the Mercy of God on behalf of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. The reading gives us the opportunity to reflect on divine justice and casts its reflections in the form of a dialogue between Abraham and Yahweh. Abraham is the mouthpiece of the conviction that, as a God of justice, Yahweh would not destroy Sodom if it also meant the destruction of a few righteous men with the guilty majority. As it turned out, the dialogue came to an abrupt end because God could not find even ten righteous people.
Again, Abraham was again sensitive to the plight of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah and anticipated their need of God’s Mercy.
Abraham in last Sunday’s First Reading waited upon the Lord and so he was rewarded with been privy to God’s counsel (God’s decision to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah). When we wait upon the Lord he rewards us with knowing his future plans for us and that of others. Like Abraham, when we meet with God’s favour, let us not be selfish but to intercede for others. So God said “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation and all nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. No, for I have chosen him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice; so that the Lord may bring about for Abraham what he has promised him” ( Genesis 18:17-19).
Again, the encounter between Abraham and God shows that our God is an approachable God who is ready always to dialogue with his Children. This is a God who tells us that come let us reason together (Isaiah 1:18). Although Abraham showed a lot of persistence in asking the Lord to spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, there was something he lacked, something which was only fully revealed in the coming of Christ: it was that attitude of filial trust. God is not just the fearful Creator and Master of the universe, distant and unapproachable. He is our loving Father, eager to give good things to his children.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus gives some examples from human parenting: "What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?" We know better than to play cruel tricks on our children, giving them something harmful in place of something they need. How much more will our Father in heaven give us the good things we need. In fact, he will give us the best gift of all: his Holy Spirit (Luke 11:11-13).
So, what do we learn from the Gospel? How does our Lord respond to this simple, yet profound and utterly essential request? He answers his Disciples in two ways. First, he teaches them what they should pray for: the content of prayer. Second, he teaches how they should pray: the attitude or spirit of prayer. Let’s look at both of these.
This is important to remember because, while it is certainly good to repeat these words as Jesus gave them to us, we should never let our prayer become thoughtless and mechanical: mere repetition of formulas which have lost their meaning for us. Rather, when we say the Our Father, we should say it as if we mean it and we should let it inform and guide all our prayer. So let’s look at these four petitions:
"Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come." From this we learn that when we approach God in prayer, we do so as devoted children coming to speak with a loving Father; and that, even before we mention a single personal request, our first concern is with the honor and glory of God and that His reign of love and peace extend throughout all the world and all of time.
The first personal request we make is "Give us each day our daily bread," and here we show our complete dependence upon God’s providence for the most basic needs of human life: our daily sustenance. But the Church has always understood this to mean, not only our physical needs, but our spiritual needs as well, and that "daily bread" refers primarily to the Bread of Life—the Body of Christ—given to us in the Holy Eucharist. And, if we avail ourselves of it, we do indeed have the privilege of receiving this wonderful food every day.
The next petition is, "forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us." Here we ask for forgiveness—another basic spiritual need—but only to the degree we have shown forgiveness. Not because God’s mercy is conditional, but as a reminder to us that we have no right to expect God’s forgiveness if we have refused to forgive others.
The last petition, "and do not subject us to the final test," is more commonly translated, "and lead us not into temptation." The Greek word rendered "test" or "temptation" is also used by Saint Luke in the fourth chapter of his Gospel to signify Satan’s temptations of our Lord after he was led by the Spirit into the desert. Here, Jesus seems to be saying, "Pray that God will never allow you to endure the kind of temptation I had to suffer; but if he does, he will always supply you with the grace you need to conquer the devil just as I did."
The rest of today’s Gospel is a lesson in how we should pray—our attitude in prayer. And that attitude has two characteristics: it is an attitude of persistence and it is an attitude of filial trust—the kind of trust a small child has in its daddy. Jesus tells us the reason why we must persist in our prayer. The reason being that God is our Father. To drive home the point about persistence, our Lord gives a little parable about a man who needs to borrow some bread from his neighbor. The neighbor gives an unbelievably lame excuse for why he can’t help: "Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything” (Luke 11:7). But in the end he does help simply because of the man’s persistence. The point is this: if persistence works with a stubborn, selfish human being, think how effective it will be with our heavenly Father, who never sleeps and who is always ready to hear his children when they pray. And how do we show persistence in prayer? By a willingness to put some effort into prayer. "Ask and you will receive;" says our Lord, "seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Notice how the level of effort increases from asking to seeking to knock. The triple sayings “Ask, seek, knock” offers us the assurance that ours is a God who gives, opens and allows us to find Him (Jeremiah 29:13-14). The danger comes when in our asking, knocking and seeking, we do not become selfish in our request. Jesus assured his followers that God answers prayer but he did not guarantee that they would receive whatever they requested. The assurance that follows the Lord’s Prayer assume that those who ask, seek and knock are asking from their need and for God’s will. An example is the man who knocks at the door of his friend at night. This is real persistence.
We may be anxious about the necessities of life but Jesus calls us to a higher pursuit: “ Seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well for it is the father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12: 31-32). Our praying should be consistent with our seeking. Then, when we pray as Jesus taught us, the assurance that God answers is hardly needed.
Jesus’ teaching on prayer, therefore, require that the one who prays will pray as one aware of desperate self-need of God. Jesus’ teachings assures us that prayer is effective not because of our cajoling, or because we have found the right words, but because of God’s nature as a father who loves his own and wants to give to those in need. Both the model prayer and parables elsewhere in the Gospel underscore the related point that prayer is ultimately the worship of God as father, acknowledging God’s holiness and devoting ourselves to the coming of God’s kingdom. Prayer is, therefore, where we bring our need to God’s love in faith."Lord, teach us to pray." There is much more we can learn about prayer—to become proficient in prayer is really the work of a lifetime. But the basic truths our Lord teaches us today are all we really need to know. May God help us to pray for what we truly need, with persistence and with childlike trust?
Friday, July 23, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
THE MASS AS AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD
INTRODUCTION
In Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict speaks about every "encounter" with Christ as one "which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction." I would like to propose that the Mass is an Epiphany; an opportunity to encounter a God who always reveals himself to those who seek him with all their hearts (Jeremiah 29:13).
Like you and me, Jesus Christ has a transformative effect in our lives when we encounter Him (speak to Him, listen to Him) and so often after a search, the perennial search that marks our own epiphany journeys each and every day of our lives. The challenge is to allow that transformative effect, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to draw each one of us more closely to Him each and every day and to share with others the saving power of our God. We can never exactly retrace our paths in life. There is always a new path for us, a new star that leads us ever anew, to the Christ born for us, born to make us holy and the grace to help us grow in holiness. Hahn Scott in his book, “The Lamb’s Supper” describes the Mass Heaven on Earth. If this definition is apt, then it is an undeniable fact that the Mass is really an encounter with God. The Mass is not merely a ritual, but an event, a point of contact where Jesus Christ approaches you to change your life. I wish in this paper from time to time to you pull into the parking lot for Mass, until you walk out the doors after the final blessing. I will examine the three aspect of the Mass to unravel this mystery namely sacrifice, the Word of God and prayerful reading of scripture and forgiveness and mission.
First, like the Magi, the Mass is holy exchanges of gifts .We are called to pay Him homage, to worship Him. "Lord, every nation on earth will adore you." This happens every time we worship Him at holy Mass—each and every Sunday without exception and during the week. They brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. We bring ourselves. And there is a holy exchange of gifts. The Mass is about an exchange of gifts. We exchange gifts each time we offer ourselves at Mass, gifts represented by the bread and wine--work of human hands--gifts which are then transformed into His body and blood at the Eucharist, truly a wondrous exchange of gifts, an exchange which transforms us into Him and challenges us to live more love-filled lives by His enduring and real presence in the Eucharist. If Jesus will transform mere bread and wine into his own Body and Blood, then during our encounter with him in the Eucharist, he wants to transform us into holy instruments because we are more dignified than mere bread and wine for we have been created in the image and likeness of God. This is replicated in the ITE MISSA EST (GO THE MASS IS ENDED). When we are transformed by him, he sends us out to be instruments of transformation in our society.
Second, His Word pinpointed the exact place of His birth-- "in Bethlehem of Judea." His living Word always and continually reveals God and His presence to us. We encounter the living God in our daily and prayerful study of Sacred Scripture. His Word transforms us into Him and we speak that word and are challenged daily to live that word and give witness courageously to that Word in the power of the Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 30:10-14).
Thirdly, the Mass is an encounter with a Holy God. Our presence at Mass immediately evokes a feeling of our unworthiness. That is why the only Sacrifice that is acceptable to God is the Sacrifice of Jesus himself, a re-presentation of the sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. We live in a world that needs Jesus than ever. Pope Benedict XVI says that the solution to the problems of humanity today is Jesus. He says again that "all the more, since the society in which [we live] has become more complex and the threats to [our] personal and moral integrity have become more insidious." wrenching and persistent pull away from God has become the order of the day. We call it sin, the occasion of sin. For you and me, now is time this year to accept ever anew Jesus as our Lord and Savior, to admit at the core of our existence the need for Jesus in our daily lives, to become more and more children of the light and welcome daily His light. To encounter Him means to allow Him to save us from ourselves, our selfishness, our sinfulness, yes, to admit to our sinfulness for "If we acknowledge our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins." It means to allow Him to heal us frequently in the great sacrament of healing, the sacrament of confession. “If God’s covenant makes us his family, then sin means more than a broken law. It means broken lives and a broken home. Sin comes from our refusal to keep the covenant, our refusal to love God as much as he loves us. Through sin, we abandon our status as children of God. Sin kills the divine life in life in us.” He is the Savior of the world and the world needs a Savior, the same Savior the Magi adored and we adore, and it begins with each one of us.
Finally, this feast of the Epiphany has a clear missionary dimension. They came in three and they left together in three albeit "by another way." Each of us is challenged by this feast to share the faith with one another each and every day. We never walk alone. The Good News is not a private venture, but by its very nature, news is meant to be shared, especially good news, and shared with a sense of zeal. "They were overjoyed at seeing the star and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother." Joy is meant to be shared with a world, with concrete individuals, in a world so much in need of joy, a world in need of unity, reconciliation and love. That is our faith pure and simple. The more we share it, the more we live it with deep joy. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta says that when we encounter Jesus, we cannot afford to keep him to ourselves. A true encounter with Jesus leads us towards Christian action namely to tell people about Jesus and the salvation he brings to us.
CONCLUSION
In each of these four ways—through the Eucharist, the Word of God in scripture, the sacrament of confession and the call to evangelization--this great Sacrifice of the Son of God himself can have a lasting effect in our lives.
In Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict speaks about every "encounter" with Christ as one "which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction." I would like to propose that the Mass is an Epiphany; an opportunity to encounter a God who always reveals himself to those who seek him with all their hearts (Jeremiah 29:13).
Like you and me, Jesus Christ has a transformative effect in our lives when we encounter Him (speak to Him, listen to Him) and so often after a search, the perennial search that marks our own epiphany journeys each and every day of our lives. The challenge is to allow that transformative effect, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to draw each one of us more closely to Him each and every day and to share with others the saving power of our God. We can never exactly retrace our paths in life. There is always a new path for us, a new star that leads us ever anew, to the Christ born for us, born to make us holy and the grace to help us grow in holiness. Hahn Scott in his book, “The Lamb’s Supper” describes the Mass Heaven on Earth. If this definition is apt, then it is an undeniable fact that the Mass is really an encounter with God. The Mass is not merely a ritual, but an event, a point of contact where Jesus Christ approaches you to change your life. I wish in this paper from time to time to you pull into the parking lot for Mass, until you walk out the doors after the final blessing. I will examine the three aspect of the Mass to unravel this mystery namely sacrifice, the Word of God and prayerful reading of scripture and forgiveness and mission.
First, like the Magi, the Mass is holy exchanges of gifts .We are called to pay Him homage, to worship Him. "Lord, every nation on earth will adore you." This happens every time we worship Him at holy Mass—each and every Sunday without exception and during the week. They brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. We bring ourselves. And there is a holy exchange of gifts. The Mass is about an exchange of gifts. We exchange gifts each time we offer ourselves at Mass, gifts represented by the bread and wine--work of human hands--gifts which are then transformed into His body and blood at the Eucharist, truly a wondrous exchange of gifts, an exchange which transforms us into Him and challenges us to live more love-filled lives by His enduring and real presence in the Eucharist. If Jesus will transform mere bread and wine into his own Body and Blood, then during our encounter with him in the Eucharist, he wants to transform us into holy instruments because we are more dignified than mere bread and wine for we have been created in the image and likeness of God. This is replicated in the ITE MISSA EST (GO THE MASS IS ENDED). When we are transformed by him, he sends us out to be instruments of transformation in our society.
Second, His Word pinpointed the exact place of His birth-- "in Bethlehem of Judea." His living Word always and continually reveals God and His presence to us. We encounter the living God in our daily and prayerful study of Sacred Scripture. His Word transforms us into Him and we speak that word and are challenged daily to live that word and give witness courageously to that Word in the power of the Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 30:10-14).
Thirdly, the Mass is an encounter with a Holy God. Our presence at Mass immediately evokes a feeling of our unworthiness. That is why the only Sacrifice that is acceptable to God is the Sacrifice of Jesus himself, a re-presentation of the sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. We live in a world that needs Jesus than ever. Pope Benedict XVI says that the solution to the problems of humanity today is Jesus. He says again that "all the more, since the society in which [we live] has become more complex and the threats to [our] personal and moral integrity have become more insidious." wrenching and persistent pull away from God has become the order of the day. We call it sin, the occasion of sin. For you and me, now is time this year to accept ever anew Jesus as our Lord and Savior, to admit at the core of our existence the need for Jesus in our daily lives, to become more and more children of the light and welcome daily His light. To encounter Him means to allow Him to save us from ourselves, our selfishness, our sinfulness, yes, to admit to our sinfulness for "If we acknowledge our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins." It means to allow Him to heal us frequently in the great sacrament of healing, the sacrament of confession. “If God’s covenant makes us his family, then sin means more than a broken law. It means broken lives and a broken home. Sin comes from our refusal to keep the covenant, our refusal to love God as much as he loves us. Through sin, we abandon our status as children of God. Sin kills the divine life in life in us.” He is the Savior of the world and the world needs a Savior, the same Savior the Magi adored and we adore, and it begins with each one of us.
Finally, this feast of the Epiphany has a clear missionary dimension. They came in three and they left together in three albeit "by another way." Each of us is challenged by this feast to share the faith with one another each and every day. We never walk alone. The Good News is not a private venture, but by its very nature, news is meant to be shared, especially good news, and shared with a sense of zeal. "They were overjoyed at seeing the star and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother." Joy is meant to be shared with a world, with concrete individuals, in a world so much in need of joy, a world in need of unity, reconciliation and love. That is our faith pure and simple. The more we share it, the more we live it with deep joy. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta says that when we encounter Jesus, we cannot afford to keep him to ourselves. A true encounter with Jesus leads us towards Christian action namely to tell people about Jesus and the salvation he brings to us.
CONCLUSION
In each of these four ways—through the Eucharist, the Word of God in scripture, the sacrament of confession and the call to evangelization--this great Sacrifice of the Son of God himself can have a lasting effect in our lives.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
FACING THE REALITIES OF LIFE
“As for me, I am full of joy in the Lord, now that at last your consideration for me has blossomed again; though I recognize that you really did have consideration before, but had no opportunity to show it. I do not say this because I have lacked anything: I have learnt to manage with whatever I have.” (Philippians 4:10-11)
The above words of Paul bring to sharp focus the attitude of the stoics to life. The basic tenet of the stoicism as a school of Philosophy is “Learn to be indifferent to external influences like torture, imprisonment and the like. According to Epicletus, an influential Stoic who began his life as a Roman slave and rose to be a Roman official, virtues reside in the will; only the will is good or bad. If one has a good will by remaining indifferent to external happenings, one’s essential character cannot be destroyed by one’s external event in one’s life.” It is against this background that this article seeks to bring to the fore the numerous opportunities that life offers us by considering the following points: search for treasures in the darkness, accept pain with open hands not fists, and avoid bringing attention to yourself in moments of difficulties.
To start with, one of the numerous ways of remaining indifferent especially to situations you cannot change is to search for God in the darkest moment of your life. People who choose to follow the Lord will experience frequent disappointments of great magnitude if they do not develop this discipline of disillusionment- a discipline that life is not at all rosy. Unfortunately, many of us in Christian community live by certain illusions or misconceptions about life. Too many of us simply have not done our homework to understand the facts of who we are as human beings and our inclinations to good or evil. Moreover, we have illusions concerning God as well and when our knowledge of God and how he works is insufficient, it is not uncommon to fall into deep disappointment when he does not perform quiet as we, in our ignorance anticipate. We need to learn obedience even in our suffering as Christ our model did. While in the garden of Gethsemane, in pain and in agony, he prayed that his father’s will be done in his life and the puzzle that will remain unanswered is that his father’s will for him was that he should die for us” “…The Spirit of God provides a special grace to the person in pain that may not be experienced or even visualized by those looking on” . This was true of Jesus. “Then an angel appeared to him, coming from heaven to give him strength. In his anguish, he prayed even more earnestly and his sweat fell to the ground like drops of blood.” (Luke 22: 43-44). This was the moment Jesus closer to his father than ever. For the writer to compare Jesus’ sweat to a drop of blood showed the extent of his dependence on his father at that material moment. At what moment of your life have you felt closer to the Lord?
Secondly, in facing the realities of life, we must accept pain with open hands, not fists. Pain tempts us to be angry at whomever we think is the source of our problem. Perhaps that is why so many people get angry with God when they go through the pain of a loved one’s death or the loss of a job or a serious illness. Sometimes, we are faced with so many temptations and the question that often comes to mind is “ If God is such a loving God, why can’t he take better care of me?” “Our thoughts are only based only on how we are feeling now; they do not take on God’s infinite view very easily.” (St. Augustine). Michael Quoist has this to say:
As long as a child plays quietly, his mother remains in the kitchen preparing dinner. But if he does something naughty and hurts himself, his screams will bring the mother running to help him. Despite his behavior, she is there, attentive and loving than ever. But the child, nonetheless can rebel against his hurt. He can throw himself on the floor; he can kick the piece of furniture on which he hurt himself: he can strike out at this mother who is trying to help him. But if he loves his mother, he goes beyond his pain and throws himself into his arms. She does not take the hurt away but in holding her child, she bears the hurt with him.
Like the mother, that is what exactly Jesus does for us whenever we are in difficulties. He shares in our pain without necessarily taking away our pain. Thus, he tells us “Take my yoke upon yourself for my yoke is light and not burdensome.” In precisely the same way we can choose in our pain an attitude that further separates us from the father or that draws us closer to him. Our attitude must be like that of Job who even in pain said “… If we take happiness from God’s hands, must we not take sorrow too?” (Job 2:10). Like the Stoics, Job knew that it was not in his power to change his situation but to change his attitude by remaining indifferent to his situation.
Finally, one must as much as possible avoid bringing attention to himself in moment s of difficulties. When one feels the pain of some kind of fall, there is an overwhelming temptation to look around to see who is noticing and who will come along to offer attention. If the person comes, the temptation is to reveal everything that is on our mind to him: our anger, our frustration and our cries about injustice. This tendency to call for attention from other people may cause us to forfeit what we could have received from God. In times of doubts and pain, one needs a deep reflective moment to count the blessings of the Lord one by one; in moments like these, we must begin to ponder anew what the almighty God has done and can do and above all lift up holy hands in prayer and say Lord we love you, teach us Lord to be docile. In our trying moments, we are tempted to compare our righteousness with that of other people. Like Job, let us individually learn to say in difficult moments that: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I shall return again. Yahweh gave, Yahweh has taken back. Blessed be the name of the Yahweh” (Job 1:21).
In conclusion, whenever we are in pain or trouble of any kind, we should not compare ourselves to any standard but the perfection of Christ otherwise we will always put ourselves in a scary place. Thomas a Kempis wrote it nicely when he said: “It will not hurt you at all to consider yourself less righteous than others, but it will be disastrous for you to consider yourself better than even one person”
The Akans have a song “ Oben me kyen m’damfo.” Always remember that Jesus Christ is nearer to you than your friend is and in facing the realities of life, one must, among other things search for treasures in darkness, accept pain with open hands not fists and avoid bringing attention to oneself. Thus, in times like these our prayer should be, “Lord grant us the serenity of mind to accept those things that we cannot change; the courage to change those we can and the wisdom to know the difference.”
The above words of Paul bring to sharp focus the attitude of the stoics to life. The basic tenet of the stoicism as a school of Philosophy is “Learn to be indifferent to external influences like torture, imprisonment and the like. According to Epicletus, an influential Stoic who began his life as a Roman slave and rose to be a Roman official, virtues reside in the will; only the will is good or bad. If one has a good will by remaining indifferent to external happenings, one’s essential character cannot be destroyed by one’s external event in one’s life.” It is against this background that this article seeks to bring to the fore the numerous opportunities that life offers us by considering the following points: search for treasures in the darkness, accept pain with open hands not fists, and avoid bringing attention to yourself in moments of difficulties.
To start with, one of the numerous ways of remaining indifferent especially to situations you cannot change is to search for God in the darkest moment of your life. People who choose to follow the Lord will experience frequent disappointments of great magnitude if they do not develop this discipline of disillusionment- a discipline that life is not at all rosy. Unfortunately, many of us in Christian community live by certain illusions or misconceptions about life. Too many of us simply have not done our homework to understand the facts of who we are as human beings and our inclinations to good or evil. Moreover, we have illusions concerning God as well and when our knowledge of God and how he works is insufficient, it is not uncommon to fall into deep disappointment when he does not perform quiet as we, in our ignorance anticipate. We need to learn obedience even in our suffering as Christ our model did. While in the garden of Gethsemane, in pain and in agony, he prayed that his father’s will be done in his life and the puzzle that will remain unanswered is that his father’s will for him was that he should die for us” “…The Spirit of God provides a special grace to the person in pain that may not be experienced or even visualized by those looking on” . This was true of Jesus. “Then an angel appeared to him, coming from heaven to give him strength. In his anguish, he prayed even more earnestly and his sweat fell to the ground like drops of blood.” (Luke 22: 43-44). This was the moment Jesus closer to his father than ever. For the writer to compare Jesus’ sweat to a drop of blood showed the extent of his dependence on his father at that material moment. At what moment of your life have you felt closer to the Lord?
Secondly, in facing the realities of life, we must accept pain with open hands, not fists. Pain tempts us to be angry at whomever we think is the source of our problem. Perhaps that is why so many people get angry with God when they go through the pain of a loved one’s death or the loss of a job or a serious illness. Sometimes, we are faced with so many temptations and the question that often comes to mind is “ If God is such a loving God, why can’t he take better care of me?” “Our thoughts are only based only on how we are feeling now; they do not take on God’s infinite view very easily.” (St. Augustine). Michael Quoist has this to say:
As long as a child plays quietly, his mother remains in the kitchen preparing dinner. But if he does something naughty and hurts himself, his screams will bring the mother running to help him. Despite his behavior, she is there, attentive and loving than ever. But the child, nonetheless can rebel against his hurt. He can throw himself on the floor; he can kick the piece of furniture on which he hurt himself: he can strike out at this mother who is trying to help him. But if he loves his mother, he goes beyond his pain and throws himself into his arms. She does not take the hurt away but in holding her child, she bears the hurt with him.
Like the mother, that is what exactly Jesus does for us whenever we are in difficulties. He shares in our pain without necessarily taking away our pain. Thus, he tells us “Take my yoke upon yourself for my yoke is light and not burdensome.” In precisely the same way we can choose in our pain an attitude that further separates us from the father or that draws us closer to him. Our attitude must be like that of Job who even in pain said “… If we take happiness from God’s hands, must we not take sorrow too?” (Job 2:10). Like the Stoics, Job knew that it was not in his power to change his situation but to change his attitude by remaining indifferent to his situation.
Finally, one must as much as possible avoid bringing attention to himself in moment s of difficulties. When one feels the pain of some kind of fall, there is an overwhelming temptation to look around to see who is noticing and who will come along to offer attention. If the person comes, the temptation is to reveal everything that is on our mind to him: our anger, our frustration and our cries about injustice. This tendency to call for attention from other people may cause us to forfeit what we could have received from God. In times of doubts and pain, one needs a deep reflective moment to count the blessings of the Lord one by one; in moments like these, we must begin to ponder anew what the almighty God has done and can do and above all lift up holy hands in prayer and say Lord we love you, teach us Lord to be docile. In our trying moments, we are tempted to compare our righteousness with that of other people. Like Job, let us individually learn to say in difficult moments that: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I shall return again. Yahweh gave, Yahweh has taken back. Blessed be the name of the Yahweh” (Job 1:21).
In conclusion, whenever we are in pain or trouble of any kind, we should not compare ourselves to any standard but the perfection of Christ otherwise we will always put ourselves in a scary place. Thomas a Kempis wrote it nicely when he said: “It will not hurt you at all to consider yourself less righteous than others, but it will be disastrous for you to consider yourself better than even one person”
The Akans have a song “ Oben me kyen m’damfo.” Always remember that Jesus Christ is nearer to you than your friend is and in facing the realities of life, one must, among other things search for treasures in darkness, accept pain with open hands not fists and avoid bringing attention to oneself. Thus, in times like these our prayer should be, “Lord grant us the serenity of mind to accept those things that we cannot change; the courage to change those we can and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Saturday, June 26, 2010
LIGHTENING THE LOAD
“Captives cannot free themselves; they need someone to see them as captives who need releasing rather than as enemies to reject.”
“Father forgive them, for they know not what they are doing” (cf. Luke 23:24) was one of last sayings of Jesus on the cross to his Father. Did his captors not know what they were doing? They knew it. This was indeed a practical example that Jesus left for us his followers and yet forgiveness is one of the greatest challenges to our Christian life. How can we lighten the load of unforgiveness in our life? The purpose of this article is to lay bare some pragmatic steps one can take in order to forgive and this will be discussed under the theme “Lightening the Load” in the following areas: recognition, resolution, renunciation, covering and rebuilding.
To begin with, before one can begin the process of forgiveness, one must recognize one’s hurt and name it for what it is. Sometimes it is easy to deceive ourselves and pretend that we are not angry but these experiences are ephemeral. Some experiences like hostility, resentment and vindictiveness desire treatment before it can be treated, it needs to be brought to the master physician who specializes in freeing captives- both the potential forgiver and the one needing forgiveness. If the problem is not rectified, its adverse effects can probably not be brought under control. This is a universal reality. The following question can help in our quest to recognize our need to forgive.
• Exactly what are we talking about?
• What feelings have been churning deep within me?
• When are you most likely to feel angry about this?
• What inhibitions has it brought to your life?
• Are there certain types of people who naturally raise hostility in you and what does that mean?
Secondly, the ability to resolve to forgive after identifying the pain is also very important. This is where inner conditioning to be a forgiving person is important. Forgiveness is a process, sometimes the decision to forgive is taken but after that the anger or pain resurfaces. This is where our will to forgive must surpass our emotions. The yardstick of your choice to forgive is Christ who forgave us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Often the pain that resurfaces seems as if the incident happened yesterday when actually, it did happened about three years or more. This is captivity; it is bondage. Friends, the resolve to forgive out of obedience to God is the unavoidable starting point. Perhaps that is what Jesus was accomplishing on the Cross in the midst of his suffering- resolving to forgive his betrayers, and captors, no matter what. Often the will of God for our lives seems unpleasant but obedience to it leads to victory for us just as Jesus was victorious.
Furthermore, forgiveness is an act of renouncing the desire to inflict similar pain on the offender. In fact, the instinct to return cruelty for cruelty dwells deep within us, because the inner most parts of our lives can be very dark and mysterious places where evil can be hatched. This renunciation comes or requires a spiritual work, determination and often an hour by hour choice. At other times we are motivated by the action of Christ on the cross “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:32). This is a stunning lesson. Is it not strange to see Jesus forgiving his captors? Thus Christ invites us to protect the interest of our offenders just as he did on the cross.
Forgiveness involves as well covering the sins of those we claim to be our enemies. The encounter between David and Saul when the latter decided to kill the former is a practical example. Even when Saul had been killed, David mourned for him in the following words:
O Israel, your pride and joy lies dead upon the hills; mighty nerves have fallen. Do not tell the Philistine lest, they rejoice. How much they were loved, how wonderful they were both Saul and Jonathan (2 Samuel 1:19-20, 22-23).
If it were you or me, we will perhaps expose the weaknesses of those we claim to be our enemies; but David rather covered it by praising Saul.
Finally, the fifth step in the process of shedding the needless weight of resentment and anger is rebuilding. This means that whenever possible the forgiver invests strong energies in not once covering the wrong but also forgiving himself in loving ways to help the offender rebuild his or her life. When there is deep remorse for wrongdoing, a person will live with the sorrow of it forever, a spiritual limp, if you please. Our job as people of the cross is to help lessen the limp. The story of Joseph in the book of Genesis (Genesis 45) is an epitome of rebuilding. In fact, in Joseph, all the five steps I have enumerated can be found namely recognition- where he saw what his brothers did to him as a blessing in disguise; resolution- resolving to forgive his brothers no matter what; renunciation- refusing to take vengeance when he got the opportunity to do it; covering when he never blamed them for what they did to him. Indeed, he rebuilds that life between them from Israel to Egypt to overcome the famine.
In conclusion, it is very difficult to forgive but the process I have discussed above: recognition, resolution, renunciation, covering and rebuilding can be a recipe to forgiveness. Remember always that when we encounter someone who has offended us greatly in one way or another, we need to see him as a spiritual captive not as an enemy. No matter how distasteful one’s actions may seem to be, you must visualize him as a captive and not your enemy. The enemy of God loves to take peoples wills, passions and actions captive. Do not be enslaved by hatred and unforgiveness because the power to forgive is in your hands. will you act now?
“Father forgive them, for they know not what they are doing” (cf. Luke 23:24) was one of last sayings of Jesus on the cross to his Father. Did his captors not know what they were doing? They knew it. This was indeed a practical example that Jesus left for us his followers and yet forgiveness is one of the greatest challenges to our Christian life. How can we lighten the load of unforgiveness in our life? The purpose of this article is to lay bare some pragmatic steps one can take in order to forgive and this will be discussed under the theme “Lightening the Load” in the following areas: recognition, resolution, renunciation, covering and rebuilding.
To begin with, before one can begin the process of forgiveness, one must recognize one’s hurt and name it for what it is. Sometimes it is easy to deceive ourselves and pretend that we are not angry but these experiences are ephemeral. Some experiences like hostility, resentment and vindictiveness desire treatment before it can be treated, it needs to be brought to the master physician who specializes in freeing captives- both the potential forgiver and the one needing forgiveness. If the problem is not rectified, its adverse effects can probably not be brought under control. This is a universal reality. The following question can help in our quest to recognize our need to forgive.
• Exactly what are we talking about?
• What feelings have been churning deep within me?
• When are you most likely to feel angry about this?
• What inhibitions has it brought to your life?
• Are there certain types of people who naturally raise hostility in you and what does that mean?
Secondly, the ability to resolve to forgive after identifying the pain is also very important. This is where inner conditioning to be a forgiving person is important. Forgiveness is a process, sometimes the decision to forgive is taken but after that the anger or pain resurfaces. This is where our will to forgive must surpass our emotions. The yardstick of your choice to forgive is Christ who forgave us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Often the pain that resurfaces seems as if the incident happened yesterday when actually, it did happened about three years or more. This is captivity; it is bondage. Friends, the resolve to forgive out of obedience to God is the unavoidable starting point. Perhaps that is what Jesus was accomplishing on the Cross in the midst of his suffering- resolving to forgive his betrayers, and captors, no matter what. Often the will of God for our lives seems unpleasant but obedience to it leads to victory for us just as Jesus was victorious.
Furthermore, forgiveness is an act of renouncing the desire to inflict similar pain on the offender. In fact, the instinct to return cruelty for cruelty dwells deep within us, because the inner most parts of our lives can be very dark and mysterious places where evil can be hatched. This renunciation comes or requires a spiritual work, determination and often an hour by hour choice. At other times we are motivated by the action of Christ on the cross “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:32). This is a stunning lesson. Is it not strange to see Jesus forgiving his captors? Thus Christ invites us to protect the interest of our offenders just as he did on the cross.
Forgiveness involves as well covering the sins of those we claim to be our enemies. The encounter between David and Saul when the latter decided to kill the former is a practical example. Even when Saul had been killed, David mourned for him in the following words:
O Israel, your pride and joy lies dead upon the hills; mighty nerves have fallen. Do not tell the Philistine lest, they rejoice. How much they were loved, how wonderful they were both Saul and Jonathan (2 Samuel 1:19-20, 22-23).
If it were you or me, we will perhaps expose the weaknesses of those we claim to be our enemies; but David rather covered it by praising Saul.
Finally, the fifth step in the process of shedding the needless weight of resentment and anger is rebuilding. This means that whenever possible the forgiver invests strong energies in not once covering the wrong but also forgiving himself in loving ways to help the offender rebuild his or her life. When there is deep remorse for wrongdoing, a person will live with the sorrow of it forever, a spiritual limp, if you please. Our job as people of the cross is to help lessen the limp. The story of Joseph in the book of Genesis (Genesis 45) is an epitome of rebuilding. In fact, in Joseph, all the five steps I have enumerated can be found namely recognition- where he saw what his brothers did to him as a blessing in disguise; resolution- resolving to forgive his brothers no matter what; renunciation- refusing to take vengeance when he got the opportunity to do it; covering when he never blamed them for what they did to him. Indeed, he rebuilds that life between them from Israel to Egypt to overcome the famine.
In conclusion, it is very difficult to forgive but the process I have discussed above: recognition, resolution, renunciation, covering and rebuilding can be a recipe to forgiveness. Remember always that when we encounter someone who has offended us greatly in one way or another, we need to see him as a spiritual captive not as an enemy. No matter how distasteful one’s actions may seem to be, you must visualize him as a captive and not your enemy. The enemy of God loves to take peoples wills, passions and actions captive. Do not be enslaved by hatred and unforgiveness because the power to forgive is in your hands. will you act now?
Thursday, June 3, 2010
IS FREEDOM OF SPEECH OR EXPRESSION ABSOLUTE IN GHANA?
“Police in the Ashanti Region have strongly defended their decision to arrest a man who referred to the President as a chimpanzee.”Radio commentator Adu Gyamfi, an activist of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), in a panel discussion on local radio station Fox FM called President Mills a chimp. The missile hurled at the President triggered a quick mass-up of several supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the precincts of the radio station apparently to beat him up but the police subsequently picked him up.” (Myjoyonlinenews, 24th May).
The above caption is timely because it raises the question of the freedom of speech and how some people abuse it. This essay will take a cursory look at whether freedom of speech or expression is absolute in Ghana or not. Let us begin with the definition of terms.
Freedom of speech is the liberty to freely say what one pleases, as well as, the related liberty to hear what others have stated. Recently, it has been commonly understood as encompassing all types of expression, including the freedom to create and distribute movies, pictures, songs, dances, and all other forms of express communication.
The right to freedom of expression is not considered unlimited. Still in no country is freedom of speech absolute. Limits include, for instance, the prohibition of libel and slander (defamation) that is publishing or saying things that are detrimental to one person in an unfair way. Ghana as a country is no exception to this. Freedom of speech calls for responsibility.
Freedom of speech is often regarded as an integral concept in modern liberal democracies, where it is understood to outlaw government censorship. Free speech is nowadays also protected by international human rights law, notably under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, although implementation remains lacking in many countries.
The right to freedom of expression is not considered unlimited; States may still punish (but not prohibit) certain damaging types of expressions. Under international law, restrictions on free speech are required to comport with a strict three part test: they must be provided by law; pursue an aim recognised as legitimate; and they must be necessary (i.e., proportionate) for the accomplishment of that aim. Amongst the aims considered legitimate are protection of the rights and reputations of others (prevention of defamation), and the protection of national security and public order, health and morals. A case in point is the recent case of Mr. Darkwa who accused Former President Rawlings of putting his own house on fire. For the sake of national security and public order, the police had to intervene in order to prevent him from being lynched by the enraged crowd. The same is true for Mr. Adu Gyamfi. These are clears cases to prove that Freedom of speech is not absolute in Ghana.
According to Mr. Ace Ankomah, the only remedy to the situation is for Ghanaians and the leadership of the New Patriotic Party in particular to condemn the statement entirely and dissociate itself from it."And so in a situation like this, this is what I think the NPP and the good people of Ghana should do, we should insist that the NPP condemns this gentleman’s statement. Dissociate yourself from it and condemn it."This is the highest office of the land occupied by a man voted by Ghanaians, and we can’t have any Tom, Dick and Harry get up in a radio station and describe him in such unpalatable language’’ he said passionately."(myjoyonline,May25th).
The view of Lawyer Ankomah shows that even though the attitude of Mr. Adu Gyamfi is not criminal, it must be condemned by all and sundry especially if it has the tendency of disturbing public order. Indeed, I must emphasize that no one has the right to call another person an animal. Freedom of speech, therefore, calls for the respect for the dignity of the human person. Freedom of speech calls on us to be responsible and circumspect about what we say. Hence the saying that “Where your freedom ends, someone else’ begins”
We need the total involvement of the society in condemning acts that are not consistent with the values we cherish as Ghanaians. This presupposes that freedom of speech must conform to our moral standards as a nation. This is another reason why freedom of speech is not absolute. We cannot sit down and allow certain disgruntled elements in our society to disturb public order in the name of freedom of speech. Posterity will judge us harshly if we sit down unconcerned and allow this to happen.
The philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville observed that people may be hesitant to speak freely not because of fear of government retribution but because of social pressures. When an individual announces an unpopular opinion, he or she may face the disdain of their community or even be subjected to violent reactions. While this type of suppression of speech is even more difficult to prevent than government suppression, there are questions about whether it truly falls within the ambit of freedom of speech, which is typically regarded as a civil liberty, or freedom from government action.
I will at this point analyse freedom of speech in the context of the Theories of free speech namely: Self-governance, Discovering truth, Advancing autonomy.
Self-governance as a theory of speech emphasises that freedom of speech is crucial in any democracy because open discussions of candidates are essential for voters to make informed decisions during elections. It is through speech that people can influence their government's choice of policies. Also, public officials are held accountable through criticisms that can pave the way for their replacement. However, freedom of speech must ensure a constructive criticism that unravels the truth at all times and not to satisfy the whims and caprices of some political disgruntled elements in society. That is the more reason why we condemn the action of Mr. Adu Gyamfi who is alleged for calling the President a Chimpanzee. Even if it is to further his political ambition, it is cheap propaganda.
Some suggest that when citizens refrain from voicing their discontent because they fear retribution, the government can no longer be responsive to them, thus it is less accountable for its actions. Defenders of free speech often allege that this is the main reason why governments suppress free speech--to avoid accountability. But in our case even though the Criminal Libel Law has been repealed, freedom of speech is not absolute but at the same time the government is held accountable for his stewardship. Alternatively, it may be argued that some restrictions on freedom of speech may be compatible with democracy or necessary to protect it.
A classic argument for protecting freedom of speech as a fundamental right is that it is essential for the discovery of truth. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote that "the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market, and that truth is the only ground upon which their wishes safely can be carried out." Abrams v. United States Justice Holmes also invoked the powerful metaphor of the "marketplace of ideas."
This marketplace of ideas rationale for freedom of speech has been criticized by scholars on the grounds that it is wrong to assume all ideas will enter the marketplace of ideas, and even if they do, some ideas may drown out others merely because they enjoy dissemination through superior resources.
The marketplace is also criticized for its assumption that truth will necessarily triumph over falsehood. We can see throughout history that people may be swayed by emotion rather than reason, and even if truth ultimately prevails, enormous harm can occur in the interim. However, even if these weaknesses of the marketplace of ideas are acknowledged, supporters argue that the alternative of government determination of truth and censorship of falsehoods is worse.
Secondly, freedom of speech is an essential aspect of personhood and autonomy. Professor Baker said that "to engage voluntarily in a speech act is to engage in self-definition or expression. A Vietnam war protester may explain that when she chants 'Stop This War Now' at a demonstration, she does so without any expectation that her speech will affect continuance of the war ... rather, she participates and chants in order to define herself publicly in opposition to the war. This war protester provides a dramatic illustration of the importance of this self-expressive use of speech, independent of any effective communication to others, for self-fulfillment or self-realization." This view suggests a rationale for the protection of acts of expression that are not obviously political or vital to self-government, such as abstract art, music, or dance. This means that what we say should bring about peace (public good) and self-fulfillment that it has brought out something positive for the growth of society.
Protecting speech because it aids the political process or furthers the search for truth emphasizes the instrumental values of expression.
Finally, freedom of speech is integral to tolerance, which should be a basic value in our society. Professor Lee Bollinger is an advocate of this view and argues that "the free speech principle involves a special act of carving out one area of social interaction for extraordinary self-restraint, the purpose of which is to develop and demonstrate a social capacity to control feelings evoked by a host of social encounters." The free speech principle is left with the concern of nothing less than helping to shape "the intellectual character of the society."
This claim is to say that tolerance is a desirable, if not essential, value, and that protecting unpopular speech is itself an act of tolerance. Such tolerance serves as a model that encourages more tolerance throughout society. Critics argue that society need not be tolerant of the intolerance of others, such as those who advocate great harm, even genocide. Preventing such harms is claimed to be much more important than being tolerant of those who argue for them. I agree with the proponents of this theory of speech, however, we must not tolerate anything in the name of freedom of speech. We are rational beings and we must use our mental faculties to say things that will not defame the dignity and hard won reputation of others.
In democratic countries, freedom of speech is taken for granted, though the exact degree of freedom varies between countries and jurisdictions. This freedom generally includes:
• The right to criticize the political system and political leaders, even those in power;
• The right to criticize public and corporate policies;
• The right to criticize religious and political ideas.
CONCLUSION
The right to freedom of speech is not absolute in any part of the world. Both international law and most national constitutions recognize that freedom of expression may be restricted. However any limitations must remain within strictly defined parameters or the confines of the law. Ghana is ranked “Free” by the freedom of the press, 2008 survey conducted by the Freedom House second in Africa as regards freedom of speech. Still, in no country is freedom of speech absolute. Limits include, for instance, the prohibition of libel and slander (or defamation) – that is, publishing or saying things that are detrimental to one person in an "unfair" way, though, again, the exact limits of what is prosecutable vary. Some democratic countries banish so-called "hate speech" – speech that is intended to stir up aggression against certain groups for religious, racial, etc. reasons.
The above caption is timely because it raises the question of the freedom of speech and how some people abuse it. This essay will take a cursory look at whether freedom of speech or expression is absolute in Ghana or not. Let us begin with the definition of terms.
Freedom of speech is the liberty to freely say what one pleases, as well as, the related liberty to hear what others have stated. Recently, it has been commonly understood as encompassing all types of expression, including the freedom to create and distribute movies, pictures, songs, dances, and all other forms of express communication.
The right to freedom of expression is not considered unlimited. Still in no country is freedom of speech absolute. Limits include, for instance, the prohibition of libel and slander (defamation) that is publishing or saying things that are detrimental to one person in an unfair way. Ghana as a country is no exception to this. Freedom of speech calls for responsibility.
Freedom of speech is often regarded as an integral concept in modern liberal democracies, where it is understood to outlaw government censorship. Free speech is nowadays also protected by international human rights law, notably under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, although implementation remains lacking in many countries.
The right to freedom of expression is not considered unlimited; States may still punish (but not prohibit) certain damaging types of expressions. Under international law, restrictions on free speech are required to comport with a strict three part test: they must be provided by law; pursue an aim recognised as legitimate; and they must be necessary (i.e., proportionate) for the accomplishment of that aim. Amongst the aims considered legitimate are protection of the rights and reputations of others (prevention of defamation), and the protection of national security and public order, health and morals. A case in point is the recent case of Mr. Darkwa who accused Former President Rawlings of putting his own house on fire. For the sake of national security and public order, the police had to intervene in order to prevent him from being lynched by the enraged crowd. The same is true for Mr. Adu Gyamfi. These are clears cases to prove that Freedom of speech is not absolute in Ghana.
According to Mr. Ace Ankomah, the only remedy to the situation is for Ghanaians and the leadership of the New Patriotic Party in particular to condemn the statement entirely and dissociate itself from it."And so in a situation like this, this is what I think the NPP and the good people of Ghana should do, we should insist that the NPP condemns this gentleman’s statement. Dissociate yourself from it and condemn it."This is the highest office of the land occupied by a man voted by Ghanaians, and we can’t have any Tom, Dick and Harry get up in a radio station and describe him in such unpalatable language’’ he said passionately."(myjoyonline,May25th).
The view of Lawyer Ankomah shows that even though the attitude of Mr. Adu Gyamfi is not criminal, it must be condemned by all and sundry especially if it has the tendency of disturbing public order. Indeed, I must emphasize that no one has the right to call another person an animal. Freedom of speech, therefore, calls for the respect for the dignity of the human person. Freedom of speech calls on us to be responsible and circumspect about what we say. Hence the saying that “Where your freedom ends, someone else’ begins”
We need the total involvement of the society in condemning acts that are not consistent with the values we cherish as Ghanaians. This presupposes that freedom of speech must conform to our moral standards as a nation. This is another reason why freedom of speech is not absolute. We cannot sit down and allow certain disgruntled elements in our society to disturb public order in the name of freedom of speech. Posterity will judge us harshly if we sit down unconcerned and allow this to happen.
The philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville observed that people may be hesitant to speak freely not because of fear of government retribution but because of social pressures. When an individual announces an unpopular opinion, he or she may face the disdain of their community or even be subjected to violent reactions. While this type of suppression of speech is even more difficult to prevent than government suppression, there are questions about whether it truly falls within the ambit of freedom of speech, which is typically regarded as a civil liberty, or freedom from government action.
I will at this point analyse freedom of speech in the context of the Theories of free speech namely: Self-governance, Discovering truth, Advancing autonomy.
Self-governance as a theory of speech emphasises that freedom of speech is crucial in any democracy because open discussions of candidates are essential for voters to make informed decisions during elections. It is through speech that people can influence their government's choice of policies. Also, public officials are held accountable through criticisms that can pave the way for their replacement. However, freedom of speech must ensure a constructive criticism that unravels the truth at all times and not to satisfy the whims and caprices of some political disgruntled elements in society. That is the more reason why we condemn the action of Mr. Adu Gyamfi who is alleged for calling the President a Chimpanzee. Even if it is to further his political ambition, it is cheap propaganda.
Some suggest that when citizens refrain from voicing their discontent because they fear retribution, the government can no longer be responsive to them, thus it is less accountable for its actions. Defenders of free speech often allege that this is the main reason why governments suppress free speech--to avoid accountability. But in our case even though the Criminal Libel Law has been repealed, freedom of speech is not absolute but at the same time the government is held accountable for his stewardship. Alternatively, it may be argued that some restrictions on freedom of speech may be compatible with democracy or necessary to protect it.
A classic argument for protecting freedom of speech as a fundamental right is that it is essential for the discovery of truth. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote that "the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market, and that truth is the only ground upon which their wishes safely can be carried out." Abrams v. United States Justice Holmes also invoked the powerful metaphor of the "marketplace of ideas."
This marketplace of ideas rationale for freedom of speech has been criticized by scholars on the grounds that it is wrong to assume all ideas will enter the marketplace of ideas, and even if they do, some ideas may drown out others merely because they enjoy dissemination through superior resources.
The marketplace is also criticized for its assumption that truth will necessarily triumph over falsehood. We can see throughout history that people may be swayed by emotion rather than reason, and even if truth ultimately prevails, enormous harm can occur in the interim. However, even if these weaknesses of the marketplace of ideas are acknowledged, supporters argue that the alternative of government determination of truth and censorship of falsehoods is worse.
Secondly, freedom of speech is an essential aspect of personhood and autonomy. Professor Baker said that "to engage voluntarily in a speech act is to engage in self-definition or expression. A Vietnam war protester may explain that when she chants 'Stop This War Now' at a demonstration, she does so without any expectation that her speech will affect continuance of the war ... rather, she participates and chants in order to define herself publicly in opposition to the war. This war protester provides a dramatic illustration of the importance of this self-expressive use of speech, independent of any effective communication to others, for self-fulfillment or self-realization." This view suggests a rationale for the protection of acts of expression that are not obviously political or vital to self-government, such as abstract art, music, or dance. This means that what we say should bring about peace (public good) and self-fulfillment that it has brought out something positive for the growth of society.
Protecting speech because it aids the political process or furthers the search for truth emphasizes the instrumental values of expression.
Finally, freedom of speech is integral to tolerance, which should be a basic value in our society. Professor Lee Bollinger is an advocate of this view and argues that "the free speech principle involves a special act of carving out one area of social interaction for extraordinary self-restraint, the purpose of which is to develop and demonstrate a social capacity to control feelings evoked by a host of social encounters." The free speech principle is left with the concern of nothing less than helping to shape "the intellectual character of the society."
This claim is to say that tolerance is a desirable, if not essential, value, and that protecting unpopular speech is itself an act of tolerance. Such tolerance serves as a model that encourages more tolerance throughout society. Critics argue that society need not be tolerant of the intolerance of others, such as those who advocate great harm, even genocide. Preventing such harms is claimed to be much more important than being tolerant of those who argue for them. I agree with the proponents of this theory of speech, however, we must not tolerate anything in the name of freedom of speech. We are rational beings and we must use our mental faculties to say things that will not defame the dignity and hard won reputation of others.
In democratic countries, freedom of speech is taken for granted, though the exact degree of freedom varies between countries and jurisdictions. This freedom generally includes:
• The right to criticize the political system and political leaders, even those in power;
• The right to criticize public and corporate policies;
• The right to criticize religious and political ideas.
CONCLUSION
The right to freedom of speech is not absolute in any part of the world. Both international law and most national constitutions recognize that freedom of expression may be restricted. However any limitations must remain within strictly defined parameters or the confines of the law. Ghana is ranked “Free” by the freedom of the press, 2008 survey conducted by the Freedom House second in Africa as regards freedom of speech. Still, in no country is freedom of speech absolute. Limits include, for instance, the prohibition of libel and slander (or defamation) – that is, publishing or saying things that are detrimental to one person in an "unfair" way, though, again, the exact limits of what is prosecutable vary. Some democratic countries banish so-called "hate speech" – speech that is intended to stir up aggression against certain groups for religious, racial, etc. reasons.
Friday, April 2, 2010
THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE PASSION
IN THE PASSION STORY, IT IS HUMANITY WHO IS ON TRIAL AND NOT JESUS
JESUS IS THE JUDGE AND NOT PILATE
JESUS IS THE YARDSTICK WHENEVER WE ARE BETRAYED BY OUR HUMAN WEAKNESS
JESUS IS A FAITHFUL FRIEND; HE REMAINED FAITHFUL TILL THE END EVEN THOUGH HIS DISCIPLES BETRAYED HIM.
THE PASSION OF CHRIST BEGINS WITH THE MASS (THE LAST SUPPER) WITH HIS DISCIPLES AND THE GREATEST PAIN IS THE BETRAYAL THAT ACCOMPANIES IT.
IN THE DRAMA OF THE PASSION, PERSONAL INTEREST (JUDAS) HAS CAUSED PAIN TO FRIENDSHIP
JESUS IS THE JUDGE AND NOT PILATE
JESUS IS THE YARDSTICK WHENEVER WE ARE BETRAYED BY OUR HUMAN WEAKNESS
JESUS IS A FAITHFUL FRIEND; HE REMAINED FAITHFUL TILL THE END EVEN THOUGH HIS DISCIPLES BETRAYED HIM.
THE PASSION OF CHRIST BEGINS WITH THE MASS (THE LAST SUPPER) WITH HIS DISCIPLES AND THE GREATEST PAIN IS THE BETRAYAL THAT ACCOMPANIES IT.
IN THE DRAMA OF THE PASSION, PERSONAL INTEREST (JUDAS) HAS CAUSED PAIN TO FRIENDSHIP
Thursday, April 1, 2010
BY LARCODIE
TO LIVE IN THE MIDST OF THE WORLD WITH NO DESIRE FOR ITS PLEASURE…
TO BE A MEMBER OF EVERY FAMILY YET BELONGING TO NONE…
TO SHARE ALL SUFFERINGS; TO PENETRATE ALL SECRETS; TO HEAL ALL WOUNDS…
TO DAILY GO FROM MEN TO GOD TO OFFER HIM THEIR PETITIONS…
TO RETURN FROM GOD TO MEN TO OFFER THEM HOPE…
TO HAVE A HEART OF FIRE FOR CHARITY AND A HEART OF BRONZE FOR CHASTITY…
TO BLESS AND BE BLESSED FOREVER.
O GOD, WHAT A LIFE, AND IT IS YOURS, O PRIEST OF JESUS CHRIST!
TO BE A MEMBER OF EVERY FAMILY YET BELONGING TO NONE…
TO SHARE ALL SUFFERINGS; TO PENETRATE ALL SECRETS; TO HEAL ALL WOUNDS…
TO DAILY GO FROM MEN TO GOD TO OFFER HIM THEIR PETITIONS…
TO RETURN FROM GOD TO MEN TO OFFER THEM HOPE…
TO HAVE A HEART OF FIRE FOR CHARITY AND A HEART OF BRONZE FOR CHASTITY…
TO BLESS AND BE BLESSED FOREVER.
O GOD, WHAT A LIFE, AND IT IS YOURS, O PRIEST OF JESUS CHRIST!
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