DISTINGUISHING AN ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM FROM A POLITIC REFORM.
When listening to comments from our political leaders on the results of talks with Metropolitan Governments in particular concerning constitutional change, we are forced to ask ourselves the question: Are they coming from a negotiating table or from a deceiving charity fair?
Obviously European statesmen and our local politicians are not on the same wavelength when it comes to the sense of “Words”. While the meaning and context of constitutional "Words" are of capital concern for the former, the latter same to divert from the fundamentals of constitutions and public law by contemplating a hypothetical and unprecedented status, that by all evidence is to satisfy their personal need for arbitrary powers, budgetary irresponsibility and a not forsaken means to secure their absolution.
Constitutional process on both French and Dutch St-Martin is suffering for lack of a common language with European’s governments in matters of constitution and public law— national and international. There can be no progress in holding a scatterbrained soul-searching attitude, pretending to negotiate with forearmed European's Statesmen, whose aim is to bring the entire island within the frame of national and European Union policies and legislation while not forsaking the fundamentals of colonialism.
Two conflicting languages, is the true reason why the constitutional change process for French and Dutch St-Martin is appearing to be on a perpetual merry-go-round and our elected representatives reduced to perpetual disappointed beggars. A politician without a vision and a politic ideology is a perpetual beggar. He or she can never be satisfied for cause of lacking sustainable priorities, which results in a lack of reference points.
In example, local politicians—while holding talks such as building a distinct Nation or freedom from colonial powers, will never lay on the negotiating table with mother country and use “Words” like self-determination, autonomy or independence. Words that are clearly defined in public international law therefore equivocally free.
On the other hand, our local politicians delude themselves in claiming one thing and its opposite in the same breath. Like seeking to be constitutionally recognized as a distinct country but at the same time claiming to remain within the Mother Nation.
Obviously our local politicians are mistaking administrative reshuffle with a true political reform. European's statesmen are knowledgeable of the difference, but their option is to play the passive democratic game.
It is illusive to pretend to have an evolution of political powers and nation building through a simple administrative reform. Time will surely tell the truth. At the end of the day, the people will find themselves quoting a famous French writer: “ Je me suis retrouvé capot par un six de Cœur” (I found myself knocked out by a six of heart).
It is pretentious to claim an unprecedented constitutional status with political freedom and legislative liberty, while remaining within European Nations known for their colonialist mentality and profound attachment to writing laws and fundamentals of national or international principles, with complete disregard and consideration of their colonies.
Additionally, in a world where globalization is the rule, the blunt consequence for a Caribbean Island to be within an European mother country, is to suffer their economic repercussions and financial costs, while remaining totally left out from the benefits of economic and social development through regional cooperation and participation in the sharing of global compensation to underdeveloped countries.
Our politicians content themselves with words and terms that may be flattering in tone to the ears of the mass, but empty in substance, missing in connections and proven to be deceitful because their ignorance in the real facts that confront the country and its people.
By resorting to terms that may be meaningful in the context of the E.U's community budgetary classifications (but legally undefined within national constitution or legislation), we should not be surprised to find ourselves politically retrograded in our human rights as a distinct country (within the absurdity of a Caribbean-European’s framework), instead of in a positive statutory evolution.
WHAT TO CONSIDER
Unprecedented entities within the framework of the French Republic or within the Kingdom of the Netherlands can only be translated into facts through a profound constitutional reform at Nations level.
This means transforming the principle of uniqueness of the Republic or of the Kingdom into contextual principles, meaning: Distinct countries within the frame of a federated constitution. In other words, constitutional recognition of distinct and autonomous Overseas’ countries within the notion of Republic and/or Kingdom. We must invent, if it doesn't already exist, the expression: “Constitutional Contextualization”.
In this process the fundamental constitutional principle of uniqueness is to give place to a constitutional principle of ‘diversity’. Republic and Kingdom being henceforth defined each as a ‘frame of contexts’ within which each country member is to be equally recognized as a distinct entity in its relative context, by means of negotiated treaties rather than through perpetration of colonial links.
Not seeking the right language to fit our unique condition (a constitutional language in common with our Caribbean regional counterparts) would place us on an equal footing in reciprocal relations. Which will result in always remaining and being treated as remnants of colonialism, no matter what Government or States level agreements may be concluded.
No Court of justice can overrule the fundamental principle of uniqueness of Republic and Kingdom. Once we limit our ambition to be “Within”, our fate is to be forever considered and treated as marginalized specificities, at the mercy of Metropolitan’s stateswomen and statesmen.
Shouldn't the people have the rights to an unequivocal definition of the word "Within" before its entry into our questionable constitution?
As long as we restrain from demanding France and Holland a new definition of the words "Republic" and "Kingdom", our politic status and universal human rights as equal human being, will always remain questionable and our two halves of island looked upon as two distinct remnants of colonialism in a growing independent Caribbean context.
The absurdity of a little island as St-Martin to be divided into two distinct nations for the only satisfaction of colonial powers supremacy is nothing less than a crime against humanity evolution and blossoming.
Colonialism is a curse and as such ought to be approached at its roots, straightforward, not sideways. Being a distinct society means at the very least having legal arguments to protect us from the alteration of our identity, culture and moral principles and obviously from genocide by substitution.
The arbitrary application of gay marriage and same sex civil union in our little island, that by all evidence, is essentially a foreigners accommodations policy, is a complete disregard of the will or approval of the concerned population, and is enough to awake our awareness for the need to be legally recognized as a distinct society with the freedom to decide on our policy and to determine our national, international and community links.
To be considered and respected as a people capable of self-government we must stop resorting to misleading and equivocal "Words" or to pretend to the unprecedented.
An undefined status illustrated upon unconventional constitutional language is nothing more than a rubber cheque.
There is clarity, rightful recognition, mutual consent, strength and power between public authorities and the people, when constitution and legislation are answering to our regional context and the realities of facts affecting the country and the life of the people.
As a little island within the Caribbean region, we ought to be assured in our quest for constitutional reform that our option is sufficiently democratized and in perfect symbiosis with the realities in our Caribbean context. To die in honor is to take on the task today and not to leave a colonial legacy to our children.
How can we be respected by European’s statesmen or stateswomen when our only resort to remain in power is to mislead the mass by flashing in their eyes a Territorial Collectivity as having country autonomy, yet running it as an administrative trinity of public entities (Commune, Department, Region) grounded upon a strict ‘transfer of competence and charges?
How can we be respected withouthaving the power to legislate or the power to enforce voted and published laws?
And now consequently, how serious and convincing can we be in our arguments pretending to seek Caribbean integration, after advocating radical separation and dismantling of over four centuries of shared history, citizen unity under same colonial setting, and established inter-Antilles links.
Wouldn’t a language regarding future links with our Antilles brother citizens in "Words" such as Cooperation, confederation, federation, community, union, commonwealth, etc... places us in a more convincing and wealthy position?
While language such as: Secession, division, separation, etc... dismantle for our future links to European colonial powers?
How can European’s Statesmen see us differently than corrupted hypocrites incapable of self-governing when our request is to be a distinct country but our development programs and budgetary balance seems to depend uniquely on the outcome of financial support agreement with the Republic or the kingdom as the price paid for the word "Within".
Contrary to the dismantling of inter-Antilles links, a respectable and respected approach to constitutional change of French or Dutch Antilles should be focus on the primal necessity of consolidating sustainable links developed over centuries of joint history and livelihood existence, as one society suppressed for over 360 years under same European colonial powers.
Using "words" grounded in national and international constitutional laws, in order to be unequivocally identified at the very least by our neighboring countries as a distinct nation, will always result in being looked upon as a people incapable of governing ourselves, which supports European's Statesmen grounds to justify the need to keep us under perpetual trusteeship.
ELCO ROSARIO
Recently I enjoyed reading an article written by Elco Rosario, in a local newspaper on the difference between voting upon a politic ideology and voting upon a candidate personality. His comments were very instructive and if he was a candidate I would have said: “At last St-Martin is approaching the shores of enlighten democracy."
If only my thoughts were free of the doubts that, in St-Martin French and Dutch electoral environment, his initiative may be reduced to just another voice crying in the wilderness. In any case, his comments have inspired me to complete this blog.
The difference between electoral campaigns focused on a politic ideology and an electoral campaign focused on solely the candidate's personality, is that the former is built on the true meaning and impact of the “word”, while the latter's only concern is the tone of the word: “Once it sounds good, the content is secondary” .
European colonial statesmen and stateswomen have always accused, in one way or the other, colonized politicians with a politic ideology of committing a crime against territorial integrity. They have always been filed as dangerous enemies to be destroyed by all necessary means.
On the other hand, colonized politicians whose only concern is their personal image and electoral career, have always been embraced by colonial powers as godsend trusties to the service of eternal perpetuation of European colonialism in the Caribbean.
It is highly irresponsible for colonized politicians to "negotiate" statutory reform with European colonizers while ignoring their emancipation history and de-colonization evolution.
French St-Martin under article 74 of France’s constitution and Dutch St-Maarten under a so called “Country Netherlands Antilles”, have made an enormous blundering backward step by taking the entire island back to the drastic depersonalized colonial regimes of the 18th and 19th centuries of which regretful scars are yet the cause of our general submissive attitude in regards to colonial powers.
From another point of view, if we should assume that the majority of voters going to the polls are motivated by a politic ideology in some way or the other, then the case of French St-Martin partial administrative secession or Dutch St-Maarten partial administrative secession from Curacao is just an ideology.
The problem with this secession as an ideology is that it sounds good but it is not operational. Considering St-Martin in its true and full regional context, the facts will shortly reveal the hidden perversities.
Dismantling the Antilles (French or Dutch) have been known since forever as the ideology of European colonizers: “Divide and reign”, but to be advocated and applaud colonizers today is a betrayal to the forefathers who sacrificed so much to get us out of colonialism.
To advocate a dismantled Antilles, and at the same time pass under the rug, the nature of these new links with metropolitan States and the E.U. is nothing more than reactionary politics.
French or Dutch Antilles united in an integral perspective within the Caribbean economic and development Organizations would have represented a force to be reckoned with. As divided and “within”, each island Caribbean policy lies exclusively in the hands of European statesmen and stateswomen.
"COUNTRY ST.MARTIN"
If I’m not mistaken, the term “country status” does not exist in international law nor in the national constitution of the Netherlands. The term may be found in the E. U. conventions between member States, but only as a budgetary classification. Not to overseas’ integrated regions.
Finding a way from “country status” to constitutional status, is to my knowledge unknown.
The obvious absurdity is the E.U's notions of Overseas’ integrated regions’ country have never to this day been introduced into the national legislation of neither France nor the Netherlands as a legally recognized right.
In the absence of a constitutional status recognized within the international framework, a rational thought process leads us to analysis of the word “within”.
A country that is governed "within" the government of another country means to be subject to the constitution and legislation of that mother nation. Being “within” means being under trusteeship. Being “within” means that local laws must be in conformity with the legislation of the mother country or suffer the consequences of either being expressly sanctioned for non-constitutionality or simply taken as non-written by Court in the event of a conflicting application.
Being “within” means that laws voted by local parliament are not vested with the character of laws. In other words, texts are voted into law by a supreme public authority, but will simply be taken in the broad sense of the word.
ORGANIC LAW
In the case of the constitution (French Territorial Collectivity or the Dutch Country Sint-Maarten) legalized through the process of “Organic Law”. First be aware that an Organic law does not have the nature of a constitutional law. While the latter decide on the organizing and functioning of public authorities, the former is meant to precise the modalities and must be in conformity with the constitution or constitutional law.
Organic law cannot be promulgated before its constitutionality is pronounced by a supreme constitutional body of appeal at the level of the Mother States.
The question that remains a puzzle to me, is whether in the case of Dutch St-Maarten, the constitutionality of their recently voted organic law will be decided by referring to the constitution of the dismantled Netherlands Antilles, or by referring to a hypothetical modified constitution or constitutional law of the Netherlands.
If simply referring to the November 2nd 2006 Accord, it will be by definition a false organic law and the organization and functioning of public authorities instituted will be short in constitutional powers therefore liable to be simply overruled as non-written by the institutions of mother Sates.
Mistaking an administrative reshuffle with a politic reform often engenders disgraceful legal proceedings against members of local public authority and their waste of time and efforts in many useless governmental initiatives, because of their tendency to surpass the limits of their vested competences within the constitutional hierarchy. Procedure conformity is an absolute must in dealing with colonial powers.
A life preoccupied by living up to a personality built upon the perception of others, if not grounded on the self-control of our a true personality and of our faith in God’s teaching, is but an useless life.
Because on the most important day of our life, the time of our departure or rather our transfiguration for a new eternal life in spirit, a time when our earthly personality is of no value to ourselves or to others, and there is no other or nothing we can hold on to but to the mercy of the almighty God, we will experience an irreversible regretful lonesome moment, physically and spiritually not being qualified to say after Paul: “ I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4-6).
The reality of Jesus Christ will be questionable if he was not the incarnation of the Word. Man's highest purpose is to become an incarnation of the word in his earthly implications. Tell our "leaders" that this is not a question of personal perception, but rather a question of embracing a worthy ideology even at the risk of being unpopular.
Sisters and Brothers, I greet you from the bottom of my heart in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
My wife Pat and myself are deeply thankful for your warm welcome. We are very happy to share this moment of fellowship with you.
I’m honored and very grateful for been given the opportunity this morning to share with you my thoughts on the holy “Word” of God and of his Son Jesus Christ. My dearest wish is that this moment we share together be preciously useful to each and every one of us as we pursue our Christian journey here on earth.
The theme I wish to deliver on this morning is:
CHRISTIAN’S ATTITUDE IN REGARDS OF CRIME OR SOCIETY LIFE.
Before getting into the subject, I wish to make two points:
First: Not to make my sermon too lengthy, I may not deliver on my full preparation. But as I did the last time I had the honor to preach at Zion’s, I will dedicate a full copy of my preparation to the Church. I suppose that somewhere in the church is a little documentary cupboard open to all who may wish to get information on the pass life of the Church.
The lack of communication from one generation to the next is a cause of today’s teenager deviation from Church and society norms.
If we can offer them a little documentary spot where they may find thoughts from their Christian elders and ancestors, and answers to satisfy some of their serious questions, I think we will be doing a very worthy and fruitful thing.
If such is not the case, it is never too late to begin.
Secondly: Concerning the subject of my sermon, seeing crime from a Christian angle can be very controversial.
But to seriously position ourselves in seeking solutions against a society evil as crime, we must focus our attention to the beginning of the process and not at its end, where we can only deplore the accomplished facts.
So I beg you to remain constantly awake so that you may capture the true sense of my entire interpretation of God’s word, for if you should only capture my words by intermittent between two catnaps, you may either go with the wrong message or the wrong opinion on my person or both of these accusations together.
I thank you,
Let us pray: Lord let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight. Amen
II. SERMON: CHRISTIAN’S ATTITUDE IN REGARDS OF CRIME OR SOCIETY LIFE
II.I First: WHO IS A CHRISTIAN?
By definition of the dictionary a Christian is one who professes Jesus Christ or belongs to the religion of Christ.
This definition is incomplete compared to the Bible and our Hymn Book definition. So it is no surprise that the same dictionary opposes:“Good Christians” to what it calls: “Sunday Christians”
The Bible and Our Hymn Book define a Christian as one who trusts and obeys. This means: Obedience to God’s law, and trust in Jesus Christ.
So in particular to the Young people here this morning, when you get home take up your dictionary and for a Christian you add: One who trust and Obey (inseparable)
“Trust and obey” cannot be separated. This is all the problem the “Young Rich Man” we read about in the Gospel, had with Jesus. The “Young Rich Man” thought that by choosing the one that was the most convenient to him, he had a change to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
But Jesus said to him: That is not the way my father want it. It is a package deal, either you accept the whole or you are on your own.
Because in God’s plan for mankind, obedience without trust is useless and Trust without obedience is equally useless.
At the End of the Age, for us to inherit a place in the Kingdom of heaven, the Bible offers no other alternative than to uphold inseparably obedience to God’s law and faith in Jesus Christ. One without the other signifies nothing to God.
Now let me be clear, if a person should respect God’s law in his human relations in society, that person may avoid many social or cultural troubles, and live a peaceful and comfortable life, but in this case, God’s law takes the only value of morals and the Bible says that is not enough to inherit a place in the Kingdom of heaven, for the simple reason that the incarnation of the Holy Spirit of the Living God is lacking..
Now concerning God’s law, many may be confuse by the fact that God’s law known as the Ten Commandments was exclusively addressed to the people of Israel, so let me try to clarify this true fact:
God is eternal and it is nothing he can do that can be otherwise than eternal. God Holy Spirit is eternally omnipotent and omnipresent in the World.
This is what is written in Revel. 1. 8: “ I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, Who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
We can accept or reject the Holy Spirit of God, but that is our problem, not he’s.
Let us set the record straight: It is a fact that Christ Church needs us, but it is we that need God and not the other way around. God is self-sufficient.
So since God is eternal, his covenants with mankind cannot be otherwise than eternal. Therefore we can assume that none of God’s covenants can fall into abeyance, nor one is to substitute another, or one is to abrogate the other.
Mankind is link to God here on earth onto the End of Age, by all of his Covenants without exception. His covenant through Adam and Eve, or through Noah, or through Abraham, are through Moses, or through all the others, up to his last covenant through Jesus Christ, are eternal.
In Matt.17, 2,3, known as the “Transfiguration”: We learn how Moses and Elijah appeared and were talking with Jesus. There can be no doubt that Moses represented the Ten Commandments and Elijah represented the prophets.
Jesus coming into the world was to fulfill the Ten Commandments so they become God’s law to be, indistinctly extended to all mankind.
This is what Jesus meant in his sermon on the mount of Galilee, when he said to his disciples:
Matt.7. 12: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the Prophets.”
This passage also indicates clearly to us that God’s law and the gospel constitute an inseparable package in God’s last covenant with mankind.
So to conclude on: “Who is a Christian”, we must be aware, that God’s law and the Gospel through his Son Jesus Christ are not two different aspects of ideal ethics but belong inseparably to the same concrete call of God to all mankind for: Obedience and Faith.
In other words, in spite of all our good works here on earth, if we do not cultivate in out heart the presence the Holy Spirit of the living God, when we die and become spirit ourselves, we will not inherit the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life after death.
II. 2. WHAT IS A CRIME?
In our common daily language our tendency is to limit crime to the only act of committing an homicide (murder).
In the dictionary we find two definitions for the word Crime:
-In the large sense of the word, crime is defined as a very blamable offence to morals or to the law.
-And in a more limited sense, the law defines crime as a felony, a serious infringement or breach that the law punishes by a penalty: a fine, prison, lost or suspension of civil rights or a combination of two or of all).
Taking one’s life, homicide, is the ultimate degree of crime, but is not the only sense of the word.
As Christians we should consider crime in its large sense, and call crime, any transgression against any of God’s commandments or any act or behavior contrary to the recommendations of Jesus Christ and of God’s Apostles of the Bible.
Two good reasons for this:
Firstly because in the same way our serious offence to society laws are sanctioned today by our Courts of Justice to penalty, is the same manner, the Bible tells us our sins will be judged and sanctioned on judgment day, at the End of Age.
Secondly, and this is very important for our young people: It is very rare that the ultimate crime, homicide, is the first crime committed by the criminal.
It is a known fact that the first crime no matter how minor it may appears, is always the decisive turn of teenagers from society’s norms. For a first crime always attracts a second crime, a second a third a so on, in the twinkling of an eye we can find ourselves involved in serious felonies up to homicide, the ultimate crime, not knowing how we get there.
So always bear in mind that the first crime even if not sanctioned by law, is always the decisive turn between the narrow road that leads to life and the wide road that leads to destruction.
II. 3. CHRISTIAN’S ATTITUDE IN REGARDS TO CRIME
There is no cure for crime in itself. There is nowhere in the Bible we can discover the will of God to conceive a world free from evil.
Remember, it is God that gave to Satan the power to commit the most hideous cruelty on the person of Job with only limit to spare his life. And Job’s reply to his wife reproach on his faith in God, we quote in:
Job 2, 10: “You are talking like a foolish woman, Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
Therefore we have to acknowledge that “Good” and “Evil” are important to God’s plan for mankind, reminding us of our sins and of his divine redemption.
What we ought to understand from God’s word is that there is no cure for crime in itself, but he has a cure for the criminal and all potential criminals.
All potential criminals means, myself, you, our children, all mankind. That is what is written in Roman3. 23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
God’s cure he proposed to us is: Obedience to his law and faith in Jesus Christ.
By accepting God’s proposition, we naturally position ourselves on the narrow road that leads to life, where Jesus assures us that all good things necessary to our well-being will be added.
This should be our attitude in regards to crime and all other evil.
We must accept the evidence that praying to God that he may cross out all evil in itself from human society, is a prayer that will never be answered
Accepting that “Good and evil” are of God’s creation is the right point of departure to discover the true reality of God’s plan for us.
In the process we surely will discover the glory of being inhabited by the Holy Spirit of the living God and give up on seeking useless answers to problems beyond human understanding.
To identify crime in our society only in terms of situation and remedy, means we choose to approach the problem at the end of the process, in other words in its only repressive and judicial context. Seeking a cure at that phase is hopeless.
To be effective in seeking solutions capable of curbing the course of crime in our society, we must approach the problem in its beginning phase. This means a serious analysis of the problem within the socio-cultural context that has favored its development.
Christianity is an important factor in the forming of an ideal socio-cultural environment. The Church can and should play an effective role in the perpetual respect of ethics in society life, not only by preaching but also by taking concrete actions.
II. 4. CHRISTIAN’S ATTITUDE IN SOCIETY LIFE
It is a general tendency of Christians mostly of traditional religions, to look down on the world from above.
Mostly when we find ourselves enjoying a wealthy life, we claim it to be a blessing from God.
There is nowhere in the Bible we find God’s promise to bless us with earthly riches. God will never dispense his blessing in material things that allows his blessing to be measured and compared between his people. Rich and poor are equal in God’s blessing.
The only measure that exist for God’s blessing, is when we find ourselves going through all the troubles and tribulations of life, yet with a timeless smile on our face, and timelessly handing out a helping hand to others, then we can talk of being bless by God, because only a person inhabited by the Holy Spirit of the living God can uphold such a godly attitude in spite of his personal hard times.
The world with its “wealthy and poor”, its “Good and Evil” are all God’s creation and belongs to him. And nothing that belongs to God can be intended to push our person above or below any other of his creation.
God’s creations are to be look upon as his necessary assets intended to fulfill his plan for mankind, mainly given a freedom of choice between righteousness and unrighteousness, a freedom of choice between the narrow road to life and the wide road to destruction.
This notion of blessing from God in the form of earthly riches comes not from the Bible but from an old time American culture that considered wealth to be a blessing from God and poverty to be God’s curse. This false notion has justified for centuries the perpetuation of slavery and racial discrimination.
Our standard of living may be significant compared to the average, but that of itself do not identify our blessing from God.
God’s blessing does not place us on a pedestal above the underprivileged but instills us with Holy
Grace so that we may assume our responsibility in the fate of others in a way that shows evidence of God’s love for the world.
II. 5. CHRISTIAN’S CONCEPT OF POLITIC.
Most religions mistake politic with electoral propaganda. This is unfortunate because politic is nothing more than society life.
We glorify and praise bravery of apostles, prophets and Jesus Christ who take a clear position against kings and chief rulers, suffered and died for human cause, yet we place our Christian’s status above society life.
We enjoy the protestant Christian Church but we fail to live up to the reforming spirit of its founder, Martin Luther, who makes of himself the martyr against Catholicism and the Holy Roman Empire. He was accused of being outlawed and was condemned to death.
In today’s society, Protestants and Roman Catholic would jointly counted him again to be outlawed. All protestant religions perpetrate intolerance against any debate that may put into question the concepts on which they have build their Church. An attitude that is not much different than the Holy Roman Empire of the 16th century, apart from holding public power.
Christianity that is fundamentally confessing the love of Jesus Christ to the world is in facts inseparable from human concrete life in society.
Leaving the concern of human concrete conditions in the exclusive hands of pagans is a wrong interpretation of God’s word.
In Col.1.16, we quote: “For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.”
Since all things belong to God and represent his assets in the world, then as Christians we have a divine obligation to use them in a godly manner, this means making right choices in conformity with God’s law and our faith in Jesus Christ.
In Matt.22, 21 when Jesus said to the Pharisees: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Jesus did not mean that money and all other earthly things belong to Caesar or to the world, or that he is indifferent to human problematic, else this will be in contradiction with the verse just quoted in Col.1. 16.
What Jesus meant is that his mission was not of the world but to the World. His mission was divine, coming directly from God his father and addressed to all mankind and that includes Caesar as well.
To the difference of John the Baptist, his forerunner, whose role was to prepare the way, Jesus did not come on earth to interfere with the way temporal governments organize or run the affairs of the world, but to prepare Caesar and all mankind for judgment day, not now but at the End of Age.
Jesus attitude toward the Pharisees can only be interpreted within the context of his direct and divine relation with God his father, on whom mission he was on. He did not come to settle the affairs of the world but to save mankind from the sins of the world.
Jesus mission from God was to fulfill the law, deliver the Gospel and conclude a new covenant with mankind
Redemption to those that trust and obey and condemnation for those who don’t, and this includes Caesar.
On the other hand, in the light of Jesus Christ attitude towards the rich young man or upon his lessons to his disciples, we refer to in the reading of the Gospel, Mark 10: 17-22, one may be tempted to run tothe rapid conclusion that Jesus Christ rebukes the rich. This is all contrary to the principles of Jesus Christ.
When, in Mark.10. 21 Jesus said to the rich young man: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, then come, follow me.”
Or in Mark.10.23 Jesus said to his disciples: “It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus attitude towards the rich man or his lessons to his disciples must not be interpreted as an absolute condemnation of the rich or should we believe that to be a Christian, one must renounce to earthly possessions, nor that Jesus is opposing the poor to the rich.
Jesus only lesson to the rich young man is that God request that in all things we must give him the first place and that God’s law is not simply to be carried out in the form society ethics but is an inseparable part of God’s one calling for Obedience and Faith.
In other words Obedience to God’s law in the absence of the incarnation of his Holy Spirit is of no avail to God’s call.
I repeat: Jesus answer to the Young rich man should not be considered as a recommendation to reject unconditionally earthly riches, but simply a warning that God request the first place in our heart above all earthly things.
And his lesson to his disciples is simply that, the tendency of the rich is to give priority in their heart to earthly possessions over the presence of Holy Spirit of the living God.
This is what Jesus meant in Matt.6. 33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Note that these things do not necessarily mean wealth but surely what is necessary to our physical and moral Well-being.
As Christians, the right departure in bringing God’s Love to the world, is to build godly connections within society, this not only by preaching spirituality but also by given concrete evidence of our concern and care for human concrete conditions.
More obvious, proclaiming our belief in the returning of Jesus Christ, his judgment, his redemption, or condemnation, the establishment of the kingdom of heaven, can only be more convincing, if we demonstrate in concrete actions our concern in creating the ideal human space here on earth, capable of accommodating the expecting greatest guest of all.
Let us be aware, our spiritual role as Christians is not to lead the problems of the world to God, but to bring God to the world. God knows all happening in the world and have full control over all events.
However, the process in proclaiming God’s Love to the world creates necessarily a responsible relation between our Christian spirituality and the concrete realities affecting the nature of God’s creations.
The Bible tells us that man and the world were created for Jesus Christ and because they subsist through him, it is right for us to believe that man’s spiritual life and his concrete life in society are not two separate components of God’s love for the world.
This is why our Christian status should not place us above earthy matters but on the contrary should involve us more deeply into human concrete conditions.
A Christian heart cannot deny the true and obvious fact that, people’s ability to live up to God’s law and belief in Jesus Christ are largely conditioned by the state of their living environment.
None can ignore the fact that social, cultural, economic, politic and even climate realities can constitute concrete obstacles in the carrying out of God’s work here on earth.
Therefore as Christians to be effective in our mission, we have a necessary obligation to seek the ideal human space here on earth for the establishment and expansion God’s Church.
In today’s world, where materialism has taking the upper hand over human spiritual existence, solely preaching God’s love has lost its convincing powers.
Adding concrete actions to God’s word has become a “Must” if we are serious in our endeavors to bring back the lost, put a stop the Church drain and expand Christianity within our society and to the world.
Today, people expect from us as Christians evidence of the love of God we profess and this demands our vigilance against all unrighteousness or scandalous measures or practices, laws or policies and all other events, that obstruct the manifestation and full bloom of God’s love in daily life.
Today, people are in search for concrete answers to their concrete human conditions and failure of the Church to satisfy their expectation is the cause of our Church being deserted.
It is only by attacking the concrete causes of the widening gap, we deplore today, between man and religion, that we will become a winner in bringing God’s word to the world. This calls for the setting of new ideals and an adjusted reform of the Church institutions
The Church active responsibility in society life is in conformity with God’s love for the world. This is found in Matt. 16.18,19: ‘on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
The role of the Church is not to seek a direct participation in society politics, but as Christians, we will be betraying God’s love for the world, if we content ourselves solely with verbal proclamations of our faith in Jesus Christ and at the same time deny our responsibility in the course of things in our society, things that not only affect daily life, but more crucial, destroys the very nature of our human being, the nature of God’s creation.
Christian intervention in society life is not to be reduced to simple negative protest. We can and should play a positive role in social, cultural and educational field, and offer our suggestions in reforms directed in the harmonization between God’s law and society laws and policies.
Simply bringing to God in prayer, the problems of the world, problems resulting from man actions and his disobedience to God’s law, problems that God has given us the ability to prevent or to solve, is pretentious and in any case not answerable.
Conciliate God’s word with the true realities of life is the expectations of present and future generations. Such is the challenge that awaits us as we strive to preserve the authenticity of our Christian status.
To be an authentic Christian is to be an ideal role model in biblical principles.
We are a Church and as such we have a responsibility in the making of God’s Kingdom of heaven here on earth.
The Apostle Paul in his letters to the Romans, stresses on the universality of man’s sin. He writes: Romans15. 1 to 3:
“We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not please ourselves.
Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.”
If each time we commit an act contrary to the fundamental principles of the Bible, we consider ourselves to be an indictable on standby until judgment day, such an attitude will mould us into a sense of self-awareness of our Christian status and our image will serve as a true role model.
The culture of silence before human condition is a criminal attitude. In example:
If God has given us the knowledge to detect a wrong in the Church, and we can fix it, but we prefer to withdraw, remain silent and do nothing. We are committing a crime,
If God has given us the knowledge to detect an irregularity within the Church, and we address an advice to the head of the Church and the Church ignores us, remain silent and do nothing. The Church is committing a crime
If one offers to the Church a voluntary help in any field in conformity with God’s love for the world, such as in organizing after-school education to help children having difficulties with their lessons and the Church ignore that person, remain silent and do nothing. The Church is committing a crime
If one has given a voluntary help to the Church whether materiel or intellectual and the Church neglects in giving thanks to that person. The Church is committing a crime
Any Christian to whom God has given the ability to do a task that is necessary for the good functioning of the Church, and simply for not being the official appointee to the task, he or she prefer to withhold God’s work as hostage, is committing a crime.
Any Christian that holds down the effective accomplishment of God’s work in the Church simply out of self-satisfaction to be able to boast: I do this and I do that, is committing a crime
Any Christian that meets on there way a person in trouble and God has given them the ability to come to the rescue of that person, but they prefer to turn their head in the opposite direction, remain silent and do nothing, is committing a crime.
Why are there so many pews empty in Christ Church today?
I will conclude quoting few verses of a letter from the same Apostle Paul to Timothy. He writes in: 2 Timothy. 3. 1 to 5:
This, know also, in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good.
Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God,
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: From such turn away.
To God be the glory. Amen
III. PRAYER
O God our Father,
You have created us in thy image but we have followed our own desires and betrayed over and over your desire for us and we have fallen short of thy glory.
But you are a merciful and forgiving God, you have sacrificed your only begotten Son as a ransom to redeem us from the curse of the earth and the burden of our sins.
We thank you God for your mercy and loving care. We give glory to thy name,
Awake in us this day the Blessed and Holy Spirit of your Son Jesus Christ.
In our duties as Christians instill us with thy love and humility,
In times of trouble endue us with thy might;
Help us to be true to ourselves, to our brethren and therefore to thee O Lord
Father God you know the burden we carry, you know the desires of our hearts, you know our needs,
We beg you again for thy mercy, redeem us from our burden, fulfill our desires and needs that are worthy in thy sight and cast away from our minds those that are unpleasing to thee.
Instill us this day O Lord with thy strength, thy power and grace and make us faithful servants to thy purpose and desires here on earth as we aspire to the heavenly vision.
We are and will forever be grateful to thee O Lord
Amen,
IV. ANNEXE: GOD’S LAW:
Jesus after teaching the beatitudes to his disciples turned to the crowds surrounding him and delivered the greatest of his sermons: The “Fulfillment of the law” with the promise that “Whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven”:
We quote in Matthew 5: 21- 27
- Not only one who murders will be subject to judgment, but any one who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment
- Not only anyone who says to his brother “Raca” is answerable to the Sanhedrin, but anyone who says “You fool” will be in danger of the fire of hell
(Raca is an Aramaic term likely with the same meaning as the very insulting French word “Racaille” meaning scum of society or scum of the earth)
- Not only do not commit adultery but looking at a woman lustfully is already committing adultery with your heart
- Anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.
- Not only do not break your oath, but do not swear at all, simply let your Yes be Yes and your No be No
- Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also, And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
- Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
- Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your father in heaven. Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
- Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
- When you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets.
- When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.
- When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
This, is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
-When you fast put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
- Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
- No one can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and Money.
- The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
- Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.
Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
He feeds the birds and you are much more valuable than they, he clothes the field with lilies he will much more clothe you.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it own.
- Seek first the kingdom of your heavenly Father and all these things will be given to you as well.
- Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
- First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck of sawdust from your brother’s eye.
- Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
- Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
- In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you,
- Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
- Watch out for false prophets. By their fruit you will recognize them
Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my father who is in heaven.
- Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
