The name of the author of this website is Agnes Okoye. What prompted me to open this website is the desire to share my reflections with the wider world. It is my aim to promote life of integrity and honesty through my writings. The author believes that to live a life of integrity requires the grace of God. Hence, she tries to advocate for a life of union with God on earth to be with Him in the world to come. She believes that since our life comes from God, it our duty to live in obedience to God's directives so that we do not waste our life on earth.
I have a friend who never fails. My heart is full of joy because I have a friend who never fails. He loves me with love that has no limit.
He loves me freely, not for any reason rather than that I am lovable as one made in the image of God. Rich or poor, ugly or beautiful, ignorant or learned, he loves me with love that never changes.
The love of my friend is divine, unconditional, I receive it even when I don’t merit it. As proof of this unconditional love, he gave his body to me as pledge of eternal life, and his blood as spiritual drink to quench my thirst for ever. He paid my debt by dying on the cross, and he resurrected to be my life.
Do you know who my friend is? He is Jesus; the Way to true freedom, the Truth that sets us free, and Life that is eternal. Oh what a great lover you are Jesus! Teach me to love as you love, with my whole heart, and selflessly.
Agnes Okoye
A JUST MAN'S REWARD
“You say very harsh things about me, says Yahweh, and yet you say: What harsh things did we say against you? You say: It is useless to serve God. There is no benefit in observing his commandments or in leading an austere life for his sake. Happy are the shameless! Those who do evil succeed in everything; though they provoke God, they remain unharmed. Those were the very words of those who fear Yahweh.”(Mal 3:13-16).
Who is a just man? A just or righteous man is one who is God fearing and who lives life of honesty, integrity and uprightness. St Joseph, the foster father of Jesus Christ is referred to in St Matthew’s Gospel as a just man (cf. Matt 1:19).
The righteous life of a just man is not a guarantee of life without any problem in this world. The biblical account of the life of Job, Tobit, and Abraham testifies to this fact. Often times when something bad befalls one in form of sickness, lack of economic progress or any other problem, the person may be tempted to think that it is because of sin committed that one is being punished by God. Other people may as well be thinking the same. Sickness, death, natural calamities may be divine punishment for evil committed (David’s son with Bathsheba the wife of Uriah was struck death as punishment for his killing Uriah and taking his wife (see 2 Samuel 11;12: 1-19), but that is not always the case. As can be observed from life experience, evil can befall both the righteous and wicked man; even most of the time, the just man has more temptations and trials.
One of the lessons we can draw from the book of Job is that evil that befalls a person may not be the result of the person’s sin or punishment from God. Bible tells us that Job was a blameless and upright man who feared God and turned away from evil (cf. Job 1:1).Job himself affirms his innocence thus:
Does he not see my ways, and number all my steps? “If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has hurried to deceit let me be weighed in a just balance and let God know my integrity if my step has turned aside from the way, and my heart has followed my eyes, and if any spot has clung to my hands; then let me sow, and another eat; and let what grows for me be rooted out. (Job 31: 4-8).
Despite Job’s effort to live a righteous life, with God’s permission, Satan made him loose all his children and livestock, and as if that was not enough, he struck him with a deadly disease (cf. Job 1: 1-22; 2: 13).
Job in his suffering lamented and cried to God proclaiming his innocence but he never curse God, rather he was firm in his trust and confidence in him:
For I know that my Redeemer lives and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.” (Job 19: 25-26).
The friends of Job tried to dissuade him from proclaiming that he is innocent. But eventually God himself affirmed that Job was in the right and his friends in the wrong; and he ordered them to go to Job with seven bulls and seven rams for burnt offering and for Job to pray for them (cf. Job 42: 7-9). In other words, God admitted that the suffering of Job was not because of his sins as his friend had thought (See Job 4:1-9).
Having being tried and found faithful, Job’s fortunes were restored and God gave him double of what he had before (cf. Job 42: 10).
Like Job, Tobit was a man that walked in the way of truth and righteousness all the days of his life, performing acts of charity (cf. Tobit 1:3; 2: 1-8). He lost his eyesight for four years as a result of birds dropping (cf. Tobit 2: 9-14). Later, at the intervention of Archangel Raphael, his sight was restored (cf. Tobit 11: 7-14).
Abraham though a friend of God only got an offspring from his wife at old age, when he was a hundred years old (cf. Gen 21: 1- 4).
It is not always the case that God reward the just person in this life as in the cases narrated above. There could be circumstance where one who is just may suffer calamities and his fortunes not restored by God in this life.
Jesus did not promise his followers that he will make this present life a bed of roses for them; rather, he urged them to be prepared to carry their crosses: Then Jesus told his disciples, “if anyone wants to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it”(Matt 16: 24-25). Crosses can be in form of sickness, untimely death, misjudgment, lack of job, or any other trials.One may be tempted to ask: but why should the just have pains and suffering?
This question has ever accompanied humanity and has never being answered. It is underneath the story of Job and God instead of answering the question why Job a just man should suffer answered Job with series of questions (see Job 38; 39; 40).
In the New Testament, Jesus made it clear that the eighteen people who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them were not worse sinners than all the others living in Jerusalem at that time (cf. Lk 13: 1-5).Jesus himself is a typical example of the suffering of the just. In his earthly existence he only did good, cured diseases, raised the dead, feed the hungry; but the reward he got was a shameful death on the cross.
The answered as to the reasons for the suffering of the just is known to God alone. However, for those that love God everything work unto good (Rom 8:28). With their sufferings, God’s faithful servants complete in their bodies what remains in the suffering of Christ for the sake of his body, the church (cf. Col 1: 24). Our Lord Jesus Christ is an innocent victim who suffered and died for the salvation of mankind. So also, the suffering and pains which good people undergo is a participation in the suffering of Christ for the good of souls.
It pays to live a righteous life even though its reward is not apparent. The reward of the just is peace, true joy and eternal life.
No evil doer has peace or everlasting joy. Peace and true joy can only be attained by living according to God’s commandments which in summary is about love of God and neighbor. The peace of Christ which the world cannot give is only for his faithful followers. Life in Christ brings about everlasting joy which cannot be gotten from the possession of material goods.
God’s reward for those who live good life and carry out charitable acts is eternal life, while he reserves eternal damnation to those who fail to do good. This is highlighted in the Gospel of Mathew in the narration on the last judgment which goes thus:
When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all his angels, he will sit on the throne of his Glory. All the nations will be brought before him, and he as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, so will he do with them, placing the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
The King will say to those on his right: ‘Come, blessed of my Father! Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me to drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me into your house. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to see me.
Then the good people will ask him: Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food, thirsty and give you drink, or a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prision and go to see you? The King will answer, ‘Truly, I say to you; whenever you did this to these little ones who are my brothers and sisters you did it to me.
Then he will say to those on his left: ‘Go, cursed people, out of my sight into eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you did not give me anything to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me into your house; I was naked and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
They too, will ask: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked or stranger, sick or in prison, and did not help you? The king will answer them: ‘Truly, I say to you: whatever you did not do for one of these little ones, you did not do for me.’
And these will go into eternal punishment, but the just to eternal life.” (Matt 25: 31-46).
The reward of the just is God himself. A just man will ever be blessed with God’s abiding presence (cf. Psalm 139) in this world and in the world to come. He who has God has everlasting peace and joy. Hence, the reward of the just is peace and joy in this world even in the midst of suffering and pain.
It pays to live a just life than to do evil because every action has its intrinsic value. Furthermore, it is always good to do good and avoid evil since evil act leads to self destruction.The wicked Psalm 1 says “are like chaff driven away by the wind.” They will not stand when judgment comes, nor the sinners when the righteous assemble. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous but cuts off the way of the wicked” (Ps 1: 4-6).
In answer to the lamentation of the just concerning the lot of those who obey God and those who disobey him ( cf. Mal 3: 13-16), God responded ordering that the name of those who respect him be recorded and going further he declared concerning his disciples:
They will be mine on the day I have already set. Then I shall care for them as a father cares for his obedient son. And you will see the different fates of the good and the bad, those who obey God and those who disobey him. The day already comes, flaming as a furnace. On that day all the proud and evildoers will be burned like straw in the fire. They will be left without branches or roots. On the other hand the sun of justice will shine upon you who respect my Name and bring health in its rays. You will trample on the evildoers and they will be like ashes scattered on your way when I do this, says Yahweh. (Mal 3: 17-21).
God is a merciful and compassionate Father but also a just judge (cf Rom 2:5) who on the last day will “give each one his due, according to his actions. He will give everlasting life to those who seek glory, honour and immortality and persevere in doing good. But anger and vengeance will be the lot of those who do not serve truth but injustice. There will be suffering and anguish for everyone committing evil, first the Jew, then the Greek. But God will give glory, honour and peace to whoever does good.” (Rom 2: 6-11).
God’s goodness, patience and understanding is to give us sinners time for conversion. Thus, our life time is a favourable time of salvation that ought not to be made light of. Life is a time for storing treasure that will never perish by doing good and avoiding any form of evil.
We conclude this reflection with the exhortation of St Boniface which goes as follows:
Let us stand firm in doing what is right and prepare to face temptations, so that we may hope for support from the Lord and be able to say to him: ‘Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.’
Let us trust in the one who laid this burden upon us. What we cannot bear on our own, let us bear with the help of the one who is all-powerful and who said: ‘My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
Let us stand firm in battle on the day of the Lord, because days of distress and anguish have come upon us. Let us die, if God wills, for the sacred laws of our fathers, so that we may be worthy to share an eternal inheritance with them (cf. St Boniface, Letter 78, in The Divine Office, Vol., III, Collins, London 1974, page 41*).