The Gospel Of “My Case Is Different” -By Rev. Fr. John Oluoma

The Story: once upon a time, the rat went to the chicken with his face riddled with pain and sadness. He told the chicken that the farmer has bought a trap. It was a rat trap. The chicken merely glanced at him and continued with her scratching business( wetin concern me with trap, I be rat?).

Feeling let down, the rat went to the goat and repeated same sad news, the goat gave him a cursory look and continued chewing his cud deliberately oblivious of the rat’s presence. Feeling more disappointed the rat went finally to the cow. It wasn’t a different encounter. Poor rat, he retired to his hole with hopeless resignation to fate, though the attitude of his friends tormented him more.

The day bade farewell to everyone and night took over. In the middle of the night, a commotion in the farmer’s house jerked everyone out of sleep. The trap snapped, it caught a victim, thinking it was the rat, the farmer’s wife rushed into the kitchen and forgot to switch on the light first. Everything happened very fast. She was bitten by a wounded, angry and venomous snake caught by the trap. Sure, the farmer killed the snake and managed to rush his wife to the hospital, but she couldn’t make it.

THE DRAMA: The bereaved farmer came back grieving. Condolence visitors started pouring in. The chicken was slaughtered to make stew for his in-laws. The farmers association came next and the goat was roasted. Finally came the funeral, of course the cow was desperately needed to populate the stew and soup for the funeral crowd. The rat watched all these in mournful retrospection.

LIFE: Such is life. Maybe the chicken, the goat and the cow were indifferent to the rat’s problem because they felt ‘my case is different’. Nothing could be farther from the truth than that. Humanity face same reality, we all are vulnerable to the same natural forces. It’s a wrong idea to stay aloof thinking yours is different. When Ebola ravished Africa, it didn’t end in Congo where it started. Obama treated Nigeria’s request for medical help with disdain because he was more interested in making all of us lesbians and gays than healthy and wealthy. We survived by God’s grace and the action of the government.

Now it’s Corona virus. Africa seems spared by natural or supernatural immunity from the scourge. Yet, I can assure you that Africa is much of a victim like the rest of the world. Dollar has jumped to 420 naira, factories are shutting down in Asia and Europe. Already basic health kits for prevention of communicable diseases are scarce. I have seen some Nigerians almost gloating that the virus can’t survive in Nigeria and so we are free. Think about what will happen when the countries that sell refined crude oil to us shut down production, think about what happens when all the essential commodities we import can’t come. This virus is a global epidemic, don’t ever indulge in the hypnotic idea that your case is different.

When you see anyone in trouble, even your enemy, be concerned and do what you can to help.

Col 3:3 says our lives are hidden in Christ Jesus. May God hide all of us who are not infected in Christ Jesus away from the virus.

May God heal those infected and help OIR medical experts to discover preventive and curative medicine for CORVID-19, IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST.