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Holy Communion the Igbo Way -By Aniedobe

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Aniedobe

 

All the things Jesus did with bread and wine and the deep mystic symbolism of transforming bread and wine to his body and blood, he could have done with kolanut and palm wine if he were Igbo.

Incidentally, those who really want to appreciate the deep mysteries of Christianity should learn their Igbo culture and hopefully be inspired by Agwu.

Take the mystery of the Holy Communion. Communion of what, with what? How many Christians truly understand that mystery?

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Now for elucidation, let’s turn to Ndigboo…. the first born of God and the bearers of lingua humana. .. the original language of mankind.

Commune, Community, Communion all have Igbo roots. They come from the phrase “ka umunne” which means “like people related by blood” Kindred to be exact. Naturally people related by blood form a community … an extended family.

Notice it is ka umunne and not ka umunna because Umunne signifies kinship by the same mother but Umunna is of the same father.

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Now lets go back to the mystery of the Holy Communion. In partaking of that mystery, Christians affirm that they are all children of one Father by the same mother… and are united as brothers and sisters by the Most Precious Blood of Christ.

It is that “blood relationship” between man and God that Jesus continued to emphasize in the phrase “Our Father, who art in heaven.” Notice he did not say “My Father” but “Our Father..” because he is trying to convey the mystery that humanity is blood related in the godhead and the blood he bears is the same blood we all bear as Christians and he desires that we live ” ka umunne, ” united as children of the same mother with the blood of Christ running in our veins. Naturally, the Precious blood of Christ carries with it the Immaculate blood of his mother, Mary, who becomes then by implicatiom, the mother of all Christians.

For emphasis. .. Christ could have said, “My Father who art in heaven” but instead said, “Our Father…” to emphasize that he is of the same Holy substance and life sustaining blood as his elect. You have to understand that to understand the mystery of the unity of the Holy Church in heaven with the Holy Church on earth.

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And that is why in his last formal outing as Chief Priest, he organized a dinner in which his Apostles ate in one table from one dish “ka umunne”. Then he rose up and gave his only Commandment “love one another” ka umunne. It is that mystery that we celebrate every time we partake in the Holy Communion.

I hope you can now see how even the mystery and symbolism of Christianity comes alife in Igbo culture.

The Whiteman has blinded our people to trample on the treasures that God gave us. When agwu reveals a herb to cure a certain disease, we all castigate it in the name of Christianity. But when a white scientist extracts the medication therein as originally revealed by agwu, the Whitemans effort becomes an inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Can you imagine the nzuzu of some of our people? So Holy spirit inspires ndi ocha but Agwu inspires Ndi Igbo and ordinary syllogism doesn’t tell you that it is one entity? Na wah.

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Before the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist, God gave Ndigbo the annointing of Igo ofor Orji. The rituals of the Eucharist and Igo Offor orji are so eerily related that one would be wilfully blind not to acknowledge so. In the Catholic tradition, a Priest is required to say Mass at least once a day. Our forefathers woke up everyday and their first ritual was Igo Offor orji.

Today, many people just get up and go. Many of the so called Christians don’t even have time to pray anymore. They wake up with Facebook and Whatsapp and go to bed with Facebook and Whatsapp. If they knew the ways of our fathers, they would certainly be better Christians.

Christ extended his Priestly mandate to us through Baptism and we should exercise that like our foreparents by waking up each day celebrating Mass like our father’s did … igor Offor orji.

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And instead of invoking the Whiteman’s ancestors, kindly let us have the common sense to invoke our own ancestors. We are all children of the same God and our ancestors are also in heaven.

My hope is that someday, the Conference of Igbo Bishops will celebrate the Holy Communion with kola nut. Believe me, it will work just fine.

Igbo amaka. Mua asusu na omenana Igbo.

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Aniedobe

 

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