As we mouth Barka da Sallah to our friends and neighbours this season of Eid 2021, let us remember that it’s not just about eating ram and enjoying. It is in fact the time to re-jig our spirit of sacrifice. The symbol of this Sallah is literally about how God asked Ibrahim to sacrifice his son and in obedience he was going to when Ismail his son was replaced by a ram.
This ram is symbolically sacrificed during this particular Sallah by all Muslims who can afford it and the meat is shared among family and friends and the poor in thanksgiving and charity. But Christians also know that Genesis 22 tells the same story of Abraham’s preparation to sacrifice his son Isaac in complete obedience to God when a Ram appeared for the sacrifice. This story of our Prophets for people of faith is to remind us of the importance of obedience, sacrifice and charity.
We have too many persons across religious divides who only know how to work their followers by cheating them and pretending that they are making sacrifices. I have often wondered how some of our religious leaders are living large and not able to make a single sacrifice. Instead they take from the poor to build mansions and brain wash them to believe that they should go naked and hungry while the leaders who are greedy and mean feed fat off vulnerable people.
I have watched in shock as many followers of both Christianity and Islam live above their means, steal, deceive and cheat in the name of religion
I have watched in shock as many followers of both Christianity and Islam live above their means, steal, deceive and cheat in the name of religion. Many big names who are not worthy to be called adherents walk up and down their villages in stupendous pomposity without giving a drop of water to their community. People able to light up whole villages who use their generator to oppress their neighbours. There is too much selfishness in the world. This is the reason why there are wars and crisis while corruption is growing daily in all spheres of our lives. So many people want to be the only ones doing well and have no interest in pulling other people up.
But what boggles the mind about these selfish people who cannot make a sacrifice of even the smallest of things is that they are the ones who take titles in church and pray as close as they can to the Imam. It will be a complete waste of time if you have piety and no sacrifice. You must give your energy to helping the poor, you must make the effort to pray and worship, you must be more charitable. Sacrifice can mean giving of your time to someone who is depressed, spending time with someone who has just had a baby, giving your last 2,000 naira to someone who needs it more than you and just being your brother’s keeper.
As a parent it means paying attention to your children and as children giving your time, help and resources to your parents. These things sound farfetched but these are the simple things that if we all did will make the world a better place. Human traffickers, drug dealers, thieves, armed robbers, kidnappers and corruption people worship in mosques and churches. They are part of our religious community. We know them and more often than not we dine with them and refuse to hold them accountable because of the small change we get from them. We are not ready to make any sacrifice.
This past Sunday I worshipped at the papal ground in Abuja.
A priest of the Catholic Church who is family was celebrating his 20th anniversary as a priest. Father Sebastian Musa is a well-loved Priest with enormous good will and he attracted close to 1,000 people to the church where he presides. We all came to celebrate a Priest who has touched us in different ways. He told the story of how he served in Igala land in his early days as a Priest. “I travelled through the hinterland of Igala land on motorcycles. My postings were mostly in the rural communities. I would like therefore to raise funds to buy motorcycles for many priests in Nigeria’s hinterland whose only means of transportation is motorcycles,” he said. He told us being in a parish in Abuja many years later confers some comfort on him, even a car. But he knows there are many Priests who like him in the past, need to go from place to place in rural communities who cannot afford a car or are in areas that are unmotorable. Father Seb did not ask for money for a new car or his needs. He asked that we raise funds for the needs of others. And indeed that is what sacrifice is all about.
As we continue to share joy and food for friends and neighbours and the poor this season, let us remember the reason for the season. Sacrifice, charity, service in selflessness and obedience. The blessings of Abraham are in the plentiful. Read your Bible again and see. For those who carry out the sacrifice channelling Prophet Ibrahim, in honesty and obedience, they know that they have so many blessings.
What have we contributed to our community lately? Who have we fed lately? Who did we give water, pay their school fees, help their businesses? How many of us can even obey to the point that Prophet Ibrahim did?
Do something for someone else today.
Eid Mubarak to you all.
