On the left: The successor to the man in the middle.

Dad... It's been Ten solid years, yet my memory serves to remind me as if it was only yesterday.

You are sadly missed by all, fondly remembered by everyone your life touched and on this 10th Anniversary, MAY YOU REST IN ETERNAL PEACE.

ON MARY and THE SAINTS

St. Peter's Basilica, Rome Although Rev Father Francis K. Thumbi would be better positioned to comprehensively and authoritatively answer your pertinent questions, I will hereby attempt to address the issues you so eloquently highlight.

WHY DO WE PRAY FOR INTERCESSION FROM THE SAINTS AND MARY?

Please allow me to point out that the verses preceding 1 Timothy 2:5, Paul notes and encourages Christians to intercede: "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good, and pleasing to God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:1–4).

I do agree that Jesus Christ remains the supreme mediator between Man and God and there is no doubt in the Church's mind that this is the case. The practice of asking our departed brothers and sisters in heaven has been practiced since time immemorial, not to state that this makes it right if it is wrong but rather to point out that though Jesus Christ is the sole mediator, the intercession of other people does not in any way belittle HIS Supreme position. It is imperative to remember that it is God's intent and desire that all people are saved, it is in the words of men the logical way to help the people He created and love so much.

I t has been argued that God forbids contact with the dead, while in fact he has orchestrated the exact opposite such as the appearance of Moses and Elijah during the Transfiguration of Christ.
You point that Mary the Mother of Jesus is dead, Yes she is dead and she died a servant of God, thus the reason we ask for her intercession. It is part and parcel of the Christian faith to pray for each other, thus the rationale behind the intercession from our departed brothers and Sisters.

On the matter of saints and Mary's position Vis a Vis that of Jesus Christ The Catechism of the Catholic Church, the supreme document that guides the Church's faith, sums it thus:
"1419 - Having passed from this world to the Father, Christ gives us in the Eucharist the pledge of glory with him. Participation in the Holy Sacrifice identifies us with his Heart, sustains our strength along the pilgrimage of this life, makes us long for eternal life, and unites us even now to the Church in heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the saints."

On the matter of 'giving more glory to Mary than God', allow me to argue that this is more a matter of perception than reality if not perception per se. The contest seems to be between the use of the words, "Hail Mary full of grace..." as opposed to "Our father who art in Heaven..." I would therefore urge you to look at the big picture, meaning what follows the beginning of the Lord's prayer i.e:
" Hallowed be thy name, thy KINGDOM come thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven........For the Kingdom, the power and the Glory are yours, now and (as I like to add definitely) FOREVER!
By hallowing God's name, we give its unique stature, identity and reflect on His importance to us.

ON MARY AND WHY SHE IS NOT MENTIONED AS MANY TIMES IN THE BIBLE:

Jesus Christ was born in a culture He did not organize, spoke a language He did not invent and was bound and lived a life in traditions He did not initiate. Mary on the other hand was a faithful servant of God, "the handmaid of the Lord", she bore the child Jesus because God wanted and saw her fit.
Jesus walked on this world for 33 years, and after He passed on Christianity was founded based on His teachings, He did not instruct everything that the New testament professes, but rather the inspiration that followed his death continued to mobilize the growth of Christianity. Mary as we all know was a humble woman thus the reason God chose her, she does not have to be inscribed in the bible all over the place, for us to know her importance and central position to Christians. It is about using the intellect, will, reason, logic and every weapon God gave man to decipher what His intentions are for His people.
In today's world, we honor the mothers and wives of our political leaders, we describe the spouses of our presidents as first ladies, the spouses of our Kings as queens, the sons of our royal families as Prince Harry, William, etc, why NOT venerate the woman who gave birth to our savior?

It is important to remember not everything all Christians do is written in the bible and directions given, the Bible remains a guide for all Christians, it teaches us to follow Christ and every little positive counts. It is not blasphemous to honor Mary, it is not heretic to recite Hail Marys, it is our price to pay for Mary's role in bringing the Child Jesus to this world so He may die for us.

I hope this helps, please revert with yr thoughts, questions and comments.

Sincerely
Simon Ngugi

WITHOUT A SONG....

Without a song…

Without a song,
The path will never bend,
Without a song,
The night will never end.

Without a song,
The evil will never change,
Without a song,
The weak have no chance.

Without a song,
The humble will never dream,
Without a song,
The weak will never team.

Without a song,
The gardeners will never tend,
Without a song,
Their long days will never end.

Without a song,
The sick will never rise,
Without a song,
The tide will always rise.

Without a song,
The old will never rest,
Without a song,
Their best will never be best.

Without a song,
The hopeful will never hope,
Without a song,
The lost will never get home.

Inspired by Vincent Youmans' Song

Simon Ngugi
Lowell, Massachusetts, March 10th 2008

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH IS HERE

ON THE BRINK OF CIVIL WAR: An Open Letter to the Kenyan People

I am sure we have all witnessed and can attest to the lack of visionary political leadership in Kenya at the moment as the country inches closer to an unprecedented civil war by day and night. While the nation's underlying tensions that sparked the violence have been brewing since independence, I take exception to point an accusing finger at the political leaders who failed to read the signs of time and with loose talk and selfish quest for power detonated the ticking time bomb instead of averting the disaster we witness today.

The bubble was destined to burst one way or another, that much I CONCEDE, but did it have to be this barbaric? Did it mean that Kenyans, a traditionally peaceful, rational and friendly people resort to ethnic cleansing in the names of our political elite? I argue in the negative because elections are held around the world and in every election there are winners and losers. Fine, it is the winners who write history, but it is the responsibility of the losers to keep the winners on their toes and help the country grow politically, economically and socially.

Shame on our politicians for leading the nation down this dangerous path. YES Shame on you all. For the loose talk in the run up to and during the electioneering period, I say shame on the electorate for laying down all barriers of decency and pride and attacking our friends and neighbors in the name of tribal alliances. Shame on the people of Kenya who are participating, orchestrating or carrying out these armed attacks that kill our women and children.

Shame on the government of the day for borrowing the loose talk from their opponents and put their political futures ahead of the nation's interests and the security and welfare of its people. Shame on the losing coalition of parties for failing to utilize legal means to address their grievances, and resorting to cheap politics, hate mongering and inciting the masses.

Shame on you all who continue to attest the superiority of one tribe over another because it is not only cheap and undemocratic but goes against all the religious teachings all Kenyans profess.

Lastly, it is about time we realized that there is no reasonable defence except stupidity that can counter the impact of an idea whose time has come. The time is now that we must let charity begin at home. The time is now that we must stop referring to ourselves as is this or that tribe and can only co-exist or support members of my tribe alone. The time is now that we must stop exporting the cheap reasoning out of Kenya into diaspora and aligning ourselves along National or even tribal lines. The time is now that we must simply GROW UP and shun divisive politics as espoused by 'our founding father' who took the mantle from the colonial regime and passed the hatred along the generations.

The reconciliation that Kenya needs must start with YOU! We must learn to be decent human beings who respect one another and forget about our tribal affiliations and alliances.
Any efforts done at the national level that do not take into account that we as individuals are the root problem would be garbage, any successful efforts must begin with YOU!