Today is Sunday, the third after Easter. I wish you all, especially all you believers in the only Saviour and Master Jesus Christ, a great day. Today Jesus demonstrated in his interactions with his disciples that without him, they can become and remain unproductive. Even with their skills and competencies as fisher men, they could not get any fish after a whole night work. But at the instance of Jesus, who was never a fisher man, and who probably never knew how to cast the net, they were able to make a great catch (cf. Jn.21:1-19).
Encouraged by such biblical insight, I wish to share with each and every one of you the good news of your own talents and skills. Each of us has something special about him or her. Each of us has something to contribute to the overall good of all. Each of us is talented in one way or another. No wonder no single human being has a monopoly of intelligence. We are all endowed and skilled but to different degrees. Is that not wonderful, that no one is empty? And unable to give or do anything? It is indeed, amazing how God in his infinite wisdom, has bequeathed to each and every one of us something unique and genial. It is on the basis of this or that skill, that you have been hired to live and work with one another in your current place of assignment.
But the truth of this message, is that no one is sufficient with his or her own skills alone, no matter what they are and how significant they could ever be. Each of us depends on each other to a certain degree, and on the skills and abilities of others. In fact, no one single person anywhere in the world is able to live on the strength of his or her own givens alone. We are intricately dependent on the complementarity of others, their skills and abilities. Such that no one should live as if the other does not matter. We are therefore bound to one another by design. In OUR WORK as Caritas Nigeria, therefore, let us always bear in mind, that no one alone is sufficient enough, but each of us is sufficient for the other. Alone we may not achieve the desired goals, but in dynamic collaborations, with one another, we may build on the foundations of history and harvest the fruits of success laden and preserved in the future. Building on the collaboration of each other means that every one has a contribution to make in making your own work successful and rewarding. Even the guys at the lower rungs of our hierarchical structures like the Cleaners, the Data Clerks, the Pilots as they desire to be addressed, and all of you the professionals and scientists, Administrators and Financial gurus, and Academicians and you men and women of great gifts, including all of us, are handsomely endowed, in our uniqueness and can make significant contributions for the good of all.
Against this premise, I write and urge each and every one of us to live and act with restraint and make allowances for others. I do not wish to see or experience Staff give the impression, not the action, that only him or her has the voice and the action. I want to live and see that every one of us has a voice and some good actions according to one’s own given. I would love to live and see more mutual respect between colleagues, Supervisor and their Supervisees, older and younger members of our organization, and indeed a more friendly disposition that cuts across all sectors and units, departments and offices. Let these stereotypes and ignorance of each other be a thing of the past. I am certain that a new culture of friendship and mutual up-building among us is possible. Feel free therefore to dialogue among one another on how to engineer this new culture of deeper tolerance and friendship with one another, and keep the contrary spirit behind the bars of history.
The May Day- 1st of May each year is dedicated to workers in most countries of the world. We remember this day as a day of holidays, a day of rest from work. Yes, a day we consciously take time to look at our work. How does the work I do impact on my life? Does it make me joyful or otherwise? What of my production, does it balance my afflictions? What of my emotional resilience, ability or inability to balance the work related stress, between my actual production and the expected goals and outcomes? These consideration are significant. In our work, we are co-creators with God. We give the world our own unique design. That explains objective essence of work, whereby the worker embellishes the world through his or her work. The world as it is today is the work of human hands. It has been so shaped through diverse contributions of different people of different culture and time. The world as it is today was not so created by God. He endowed us the intelligence to become co-creators. Even as we co-create with him, the subjective dimension of work, helps to enhance our personality. We become more through our work. Self-actualization is an enterprise of human work. And so, we are glad when we are able to contribute to the well ordering of society through the work of our hands. Congratulations on the achievements of the work of your hands.
