FR MICHAEL BOAKYE YEBOAH
CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF KUMASI, GHANA.
THE SENSE OF BELONGING
The stories we hear and tell come in varied forms. Some of these stories warm our hearts to the extent that we want to hear them over and over again. When a good story reaches our ears, most of the time we cannot deny the lips from letting it out so that others may also hear it.
We may have heard of stories of the beginnings of some great empires, kingdoms and nations; and the kings and queens who reigned there. The greatness of some of these empires, kingdoms, and nations have been praised because of their victorious armies, military prowess and their wealth. These made their citizens prideful of their nation but for most citizens who lived during the reign of the Caesars, what really gave them self-worth was the “sense of belonging” of being a Roman citizen. To be part of the “Roman empire’s” story was the treasure for the Emperor, the nobility and the commoners. No wonder the English playwriter Chaucer said “all roads lead to Rome.”
This “sense of belonging” even affected a renowned apostle like Paul. Paul could not give a full and detailed account of himself without indicating that he was a Roman citizen. Paul knew that having that sense of belonging as a “Roman citizen” came with some benefits and one of note is what Luke tells us in Acts 22:22-23:11. The inspired writer wrote:
The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live.
As they were shouting and throwing off their cloak and flinging the dust into the air, the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”
When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”
When the authorities heard that Paul was a Roman, the treatment of him changed totally because he belonged to Caesar and so if he is accused of anything, it is in the hands of Caesar to judge and not an ordinary Governor of a Roman province or a centurion. Because of this “sense of belonging”, people paid huge sums of money to acquire their Roman citizenship.
With all these benefits that came with being a Roman citizen, when Paul became “intoxicated in the Spirit”, he treasured more the “sense of belonging” that associated his life and ministry to the Holy Trinity than anything on earth. One can understand Paul when he said:
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him… (Philippians 3:8-10).
This is the sense of belonging I would like to propose to you on this solemnity day of the Holy Trinity. In the Holy Trinity, we come to possess “a sense of belonging” that surpasses anything on earth. When you are “intoxicated by the Holy Spirit” and our Lord Jesus Christ is your only way, life and truth; and God the Father reigns supreme on your life then you will deem worldly obsessions as vanity and transient. For one to live fully in the Holy Trinity, death is even a gain because it serves as a passage to a better in heaven.
It is based on this conviction that I would like to propose six key steps that may indicate that one has a sense of belonging with the Holy Trinity.
- OUR SOURCE
The day that a person is baptized and becomes a Christian, (s)he should know that (s)he has ceased from being a worldly person. The famous spiritual writer C. S. Lewis is noted to have said “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” If one sources his/her life to another world then that will create in him/her a kind of restlessness if (s)he does not give his/her life to the King of that world. St. Augustine knew this that is why he famously confessed: “our lives will be restless until they rest in God.” The Holy Trinity is the source of your life and so allow him to reign supreme on your life.
- OUR IDENTITY
When the Holy Trinity reigns in the life of a person, (s)he receives an identity. It is this identity that Jesus educated his disciples on in John 15:1ff. Abiding in Jesus brings one to abide in the Father and the Holy Spirit and the effect of that “sense of belonging” is for one to bear fruit.
I know that there are some of us who treasure the identity we get from our families, tribes, nationality, etc., but there is nothing better than being identified as a child of God. I remember when my Dad became a chief of our town, I knew I would be called “nanaba (a prince)” but my mum objected that nickname. She educated us that the worth of our lives lies in the fact that we are children of God and not in any other thing/title. I wasn’t happy then but today I thank my mum for giving me that orientation. Whatever worldly identity you get for yourself is just temporal. Let us direct our lives toward a life in the Holy Trinity.
- OUR LIFE
When one’s life is directed towards the Holy Trinity, then (s)he can be sure of a quality life. In our world today, when some people talk of a “quality life”, they generally mean quality of hygiene, health, social status, prestigious positions, academic titles, political positions, etc. But for us Christians, quality life should be a life in the Holy Trinity. I would like to associate my voice to that of St. Paul and make this appeal: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:1-2).
This life is not the preserve of monks, nuns, and priests but rather it is opened for all who have been baptized in Christ.
- OUR WAY
Please I would like to assure you that this is the best way. There are so many ways in life but none of them can bring you real fulfillment. The path that leads to the Holy Trinity is the only authentic way.
- OUR TRUTH
This is the truth. Jesus cannot lie to us. I know that some people confuse the doctrine of truth with science and philosophy but no matter the advancement of science and philosophy, they are still limited because they cannot offer answers to all life’s questions. The French philosopher Rene Descartes promoted a philosophy (Methodic Doubt) that led many people away from God but when he became limited in his reasoning he concluded that God is the only Being beyond whom nothing can be comprehended.
- OUR END – HEAVEN
It is only in the Holy Trinity that man finds answers to where his life will be after his/her demise. Heaven awaits anyone who believes in the Holy Trinity and lives his/her life in God. We are going home to heaven after the end of our sojourn on earth, please don’t be left out. OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP PRAY FOR US.
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