Fr Ogundipe Sdv

DIGITAL SAINTS How can we become Saints in this contemporary society, where materialism, relativism, selfism, consumerism and all the ‘ism’s, have become the skeletal mode where we glued our societal model. God is no longer the algorithm, many schools of thought had re-formed our natural spirituality, and People no longer want things at Gods time everyone wants to be digital. Do you know that presently in Europe, even in other parts of the world many students no longer use paper and pen, everything is computerized? “The digital age” they call it. Students go to school with their lap-tops, high pads and flash drives. whenever the lecturer finished lecture the students goes to the digital board to copy the lecture even those who could not attend the lecture can have both video and audio of the lecture from the digital board, to read from books is longer a priority because you can Google anything. Father Paul was telling us the other day that some liberalists in United States are clamor...

JOHN PAUL II, ECCLESIA IN AFRICA, 14TH SEPTEMBER 1995 INTRODUCTION The synod of bishops on the church in Africa held in Rome acknowledges the pride and place of the family in the society and the church. In his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesial in Africa, (1995), the Holy Father from Familiaris Consortio #75 holds that; “The future of the world and of the Church passes through the family (and that) not only is the Christian family the first cell of the living Ecclesial community, it is also the fundamental cell of the society.” Central to this document is the African family, which the document cautions that though she tries to adopt positive values of modernity, she must preserve her own essential values. The document thus admits that in trying to build the Church as a family, such is truly proper to the African culture, because such values as care for others, solidarity, warmth in human relationships, acceptance, dialogue, trust and sharing which characterize the family o...

THEOLOGICAL CUM PHILOSOPHICAL BASES OF THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES Introduction A careful and critical reading of this introduction immediately offers the reader an idea of the philosophical foundation of the Theological virtues. In man to man relationships, the life of a good man will be characterized by the practice of the four classical virtues: temperance, courage (or fortitude), justice, and above all wisdom or prudence that refined ability to judge correctly what is right to know and do. This much can be developed by natural and reasonable man, quite apart from revelation and faith. In all this Thomas does little more than reproduce Aristotle. God endows man, through Christian revelation and the church with its sacraments, with the added gift of the three theological virtues, faith, hope and love, which direct man to God Himself, and which therefore crown the four natural virtues. Aquinas’ moral theory is a relatively unimaginative appropriation of the Aristotelian theory of vi...

AFRICAN THEOLOGY IN ITS CULTURAL CONTEXT African theology, or what some people call African Christian theology, could be explained as that theology which reflects on the gospel, the Christian tradition, and the total African reality in an African manner and from the particular perspectives of the African world-view. The task of Bujo’s African Theology is to bring together the fundamentals of Christian faith and the African traditions, to make the Africans feel more at home, to do this; he considered the theology of the Ancestors as a starting point for new Christology and Ecclesiology. Benezet Bujo is of the view that African theology has to be renewed. His criticisms, in pursuit of a renewed African theology, come along two headings, namely theology and African tradition and inculturation and theology of liberation. According to him, any theologian who wishes to construct an African theology must take the basic elements of the African tradition and interpret them in the light of the...

OUTLINE Introduction What is Kerygma The composition of the writing gospels The relationship between the oral tradition and the composition of the written gospel The circumstances that led to the composition and circulation of the synoptic Conclusion INTRODUCTION The Gospels first existed in the oral tradition. The person of Jesus Christ, His life- words and deeds constitute the Gospel. After the ascension of Jesus the people started talking about him and of the events relating to his death and resurrection. These became the first “good news” to be announced. During this time, the Kerygma was on the fact that Jesus Came, lived, suffered, died, resurrected for our sake and that he will come again. What then led to the composition of the writing gospel is there any relationship between the writing gospel and the oral teaching? Why some are referred to as synoptic what led to this? KERYGMA The word Kerygma is from a Greek word, “Khrigma” meaning proclamation (khrigma from verb...

A Summary on Evangelii Nuntiandi 1975 Pope Paul VI on December 1975 wrote to the Episcopate, Clergy and to all the faithful of the entire world on evangelization in the modern world. In his introductory part he emphasized that ,the condition of the society in which we live oblige us to seek for a new method on how to bring the Gospel message to the modern man, he explained that evangelization is not an occasional or temporary task but a permanent and constitutive necessity of the church, he therefore, called on all (cleric and lay faithful) to meditate and re-evaluate the three pertinent questions; “in our days what has happened to that hidden energy of the Good News, which is able to have a powerful effect on man’s conscience?, To what extent and in what way is that evangelical force capable of really transforming the people of this century?, What method should be followed in order that the power of the Gospel may have its effect?. The whole mission of Christ is summed up in the Go...

INTRODUCTION The document Humanae Vitae (On Human Life) is an encyclical letter written by Pope Paul VI and issued on 25th July, 1968, which was subtitled: On the Regulation of Birth. It therefore re-affirms the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church regarding conjugal love, responsible parenthood, and the continued rejection of most forms of birth control. However, the encyclical was controversial primarily because of its prohibition of all forms of artificial birth control. In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI called this topic “controversial, yet so crucial for humanity’s future… The document very soon became a sign of contradiction. It constitutes a significant show of courage in reasserting the continuity of the Church’s doctrine and tradition… What was true yesterday is true also today”. It is perhaps the most controversial and misunderstood document of the church. According to Paul VI in addressing married couples said that they should fulfill the duties of married at all times am...

My Lord Bishop, Deans, Very Rev Fathers, the parents of the couples, invited guests, Seun and Ayo, Oni Lojope Edumare……..  Yes oluwa ti seun Ayo ti wole, what a divine plan,  last year Seun called me she said uncle please tell my mumy to allow me get married, am no longer a baby please I know she listen to you safe me uncle. And I said wait for the appointed time. Today and I repeat today the prophesy of Jerimiah 11:10 have come to pass For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon's seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. Listen now in vs 6 of chapter 11 he says: “you will take wives and have sons and daughters; to the parents he says: you will take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.” What we have gathered to celebrate today is in the plan of God. A union between a man and a woman not man and man noooo!! N...

Rev Fr Lawrence Ogundipe SDV  INTRODUCTION Pentecostals emphasize the corporate elements in worship and lay special stress on the practice of gifts listed in 1Cor 12 -14 especially prophecy, healing, speaking in tongues, exorcism and miracles among others. In South-West of Nigeria, possession of gifts is required for members as a sign of true faith, as such, there is spontaneity and freedom in worship and life of Pentecostals since everyone has gifts and must manifest them anytime and everywhere. This is completely different from the Catholic Church belief and teaching which did not allow spontaneity in her liturgy; rather the rubrics must be followed. The Pentecostal church constitute a challenge because of their influence in building an attitude that sees every interpreted human experience as essentially religion, and every speech as speech about God.This is a distortion of religion that borders on superstition. Hence our youth drift into their ways and neglect the orthodox tea...

WHAT MAKES A SIN MORTAL? Mortal sin is the most serious sin and its effect is to be understood by its very name: mortal.  Mortal means deadly and, therefore, mortal sin completely kills the grace of God in our heart.  It leaves us spiritually dead and lacking in charity and hope. In fact it is deadly than a killer virus because it affects the Soul that was created Immortal. Interestingly, mortal sin does not necessarily destroy faith in our lives.  It certainly attacks our faith and confuses it, but faith is still possible while in mortal sin.  In fact, it is that enduring ability to have faith that can have the effect of enabling one to repent of mortal sin and return to God. However, even though faith is not necessarily completely destroyed by mortal sin, hope and charity are.  The soul in unrepentant mortal sin is not able to hope in God in any way and is not capable of offering the charity which results from sanctifying grace. To be restored one needs ...