Rhymes from the Clouds E-Book

Leonard Anetekhai

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 71

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

If you seek true enlightenment, this book is a treasure trove of wisdom. It overflows with quotes and insights from historical and biblical figures, offering guidance on life's fundamental principles, child-rearing, self-discipline, companionship, spiritual love, faith, and practical wisdom. Reading can teach us valuable lessons alongside life's challenges. I assure you that the wealth of learning within this book will enrich your knowledge and nurture greater wisdom within. This book presents a practical perspective on daily life, providing insightful and inspiring guidance for those striving for excellence in all areas of their lives. If you aspire to better yourself and acquire the essential knowledge for success, this book is definitely worth reading.

Leseprobe

Dedication

In loving memory of

Leonard O. Ayonote

&

Christopher O. Odia-Ogedegbe

Acknowledgements

I am sincerely grateful to all who have made these

reflections of mine not just words in my heart but a

reality for all to handle, feel, read and work with.

I especially acknowledge those whose materials are

sources of my inspiration and those who contributed

their quota in proofreading, criticising and making

valuable suggestions. Worthy of mention is His

Lordship, Most Rev. Dr. Gabriel G. Dunia, my Bishop

and Father, for granting the Imprimatur, Rev. Fr. Prof.

Anselm Jimoh for his brotherly encouragement, and

for accepting to give the Nihil Obstat. To my bosom

brother in the priesthood, Rev. Fr. Dr. Stan-William

Ede, I thank you for the beautiful foreword and for

suggesting the title of this book. May God, in his

infinite goodness, reward your generosity.

To you who will pick up this book to read, I

acknowledge you for your time spent on it; as you

read through, let it guide and guard you in your life

endeavours.

Lastly, I acknowledge all who have been a source of

inspiration to me in my priestly ministry. May God

bless and reward you all. Amen.

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Introduction

1. Life is Relational (I)

2. Life is Relational (II)

3. Sacredness of Life

4. When Life is Unfair

5. The Misery of Human Life

6. The Joys of Life

7. All Have Sinned

8. What Happens if We Sin

9. Self-Control

10. Inner Beauty

11. Nothing is New

12. What about My Brother Next Door

13. In Communion with Him

14. Power to Produce

15. Not Alone

16. The Family

17. Duties to Parents

18. Bringing up Children

19. Back to the Father

20. Discovering True Value

21. Faithfulness to God

22. A Face of Sorrow

23. Do not be Discouraged

24. Humility

25. The Spirit of Contentment

26. Almsgiving

27. Pride, Not a Blessing

28. Self-Confidence

29. Self-Examination

30. Choice of Friends

31. Be on Guard with your Friends

32. Be Careful of those you call Friends (I)

33. Be Careful of those you call Friends (II)

34. Be Friends to Your Friends

35. Be careful of those you Trust

36. God Loves you

37. Be Prudent (I)

38. Be Prudent (II)

39. Be Alert

40. Be Positive

41. Be Wise in the Use of Wealth

42. Ask Wisdom and Shun Foolishness (I)

43. Ask Wisdom and Shun Foolishness (II)

44. Avoid Disease

45. Avoid Evil

46. Learn from Wisdom

47. Being Modest

48. Seize the Moment, or It is Gone!

49. Building for Eternity

50. Think about Death

Foreword

Human history is fraught with efforts, theories, and further efforts, all aimed at the achievement of harmonious coexistence and cooperation in human relationships, and in the sharing of goods, within local communities, national societies and on the international level. It is part of the social nature of human beings that we live in groups. And this requires that we have laws or rules that govern our relationships and interactions. Morality and religiously and culturally shared values are positive tools for social living, and for these to be effectuated, there must be at least some awareness of the social principles that tend towards the “good”. Following from this knowledge, each individual begets the onus to situate himself within the context of an integrated life in society.

Unfortunately, however, we are living in an era of extraordinary socio-political, economic and cultural change. These changes are marked by the creation of great divisions and deep conflicts among people in society. There tends to be a neo-dimensional renewal of “homo homini lupus” (man’s inhumanity to man), so that injustices, violence and disregard for human rights abound the world over. Terrorism has cast a dark shadow of despair, and the world itself has become a daily theatre of war amidst the incessant peace-talks, peace processes and peace road-maps. Most recently, the future of the human race is threatened by nuclear destruction as the arms race continues to escalate. We cannot refrain from mentioning that there are countless number of children suffering from malnutrition and diseases of various kinds, as well as people weighed down under the vestiges of political subjugation and socio-economic deprivations.

It is quite a surprising irony of history and facts that today’s world, which is strikingly remarkable for an intense development of interpersonal interactions due to contemporary advancements in science and technology, is also afflicted by this kind of intense crisis of identity and belongingness between human beings. It is one of the essential properties of the human person that he can achieve true and full humanity by virtue of his nature and by means of belonging to a community of other human persons with whom he interacts. In modern times however, the fraternal tower has fallen, and individualism has led to a breakdown of true communion among human beings, the effect of which is a high-level disregard for the sanctity of personhood and interpersonal values.

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the earth and all that they contain (cf. Gen 1:1-2:4). Then “God created man in his own image and likeness” (cf. Gen 1:27) and gave him a special dignity, crowned with glory and honour and given dominion over all other creatures (Ps 8:6-10). This, in fact, is a gratifying exaltation, a special dignity that applies to every man irrespective of age, tribe, gender, nationality or race, and is meant to be sacrosanctly respected and upheld by all. The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council put this succinctly in the following words: “All men are endowed with a rational soul and are created in God’s image; they have the same nature and origin, and being redeemed by Christ, they enjoy the same divine call and destiny; there is here a basic equality between all men, and it must be given ever greater recognition” (cf. Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes – Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 29).

By an unfortunate twist of fate, man who was created wealthy in all ramifications has, by his own folly, distorted this exalted stance, for he danced astray, off the stage of glory upon which God has set him. What followed thereafter is a history of toils and successes, pains and joys, and sadly enough, the perpetuation of class differences and class struggles.

Well, the urgency resounds anew of the need to build a more human world through the furthering of truth, honesty, justice and peace. It’s an indubitable fact that “all men are endowed with a rational soul and are created in God’s image; they have the same nature and origin and, being redeemed by Christ, they enjoy the same divine calling and destiny; thus, there exists a basic equality between all men, and it must be given greater recognition” (Vatican II Council, Gaudium et Spes, 29). This constitutes the secret of sustaining the world on the pillars of peace and harmony.

Building a more human world in which the rights and dignity of every man are cherished and respected and in which fraternal love, social and international peace abound, have been the wish and exhortations of our Popes and Church leaders in history, especially in recent times. Hence many Encyclicals and Apostolic Letters have been issued along these lines. Reading the signs of the times, it is obvious that the issue of family life in the world through fraternisation should be evermore upheld with the hope that someday, all people would come to cherish these norms of human coexistence and progress.

On the other hand, building a more human world is a task that has to take root in each individual – from person to person, from whence it can then spread through groups of people, communities, and then to the world. Most of us know what is good, at least in principle. The difficulties arise in living out what we know and in the application of ideal religious values and moral knowledge to particular contexts. This book, RHYMES FROM THE CLOUDS: TIPS FOR HAPPIER LIVING, is a compendium of life and relational resource that addresses itself to each individual in a unique way, urging each one to heal the world and promote interpersonal interactions through a process that begins from the individual himself.