KK's sermon
KK's sermonBy Editor
Monday August 27, 2007 [04:00]
Comrade KK’s missing Sunday church service to attend to the plight of orphans should make us think twice about our faith and its meaning. It should also help draw our thoughts and attention to the issue of orphans.
Comrade KK says he could not attend church yesterday because he considered attending to the vulnerable as church in itself. We share his view because we believe that man’s material needs, the basic foundation of life, was the most sacred thing for Jesus. For Jesus, it was impossible to speak of spiritual life apart from the material conditions of existence.
There was nothing more sacred than man, the image and likeness of God. The hunger of that man was an offence to the Creator Himself. A religion that cares for the supposed sacredness of its objects but turns its back on those who are the real temples of the Spirit is worthless. in Jesus’ way of thinking, there is nothing more sacred than the right to life. Hence, Jesus’ conclusion in Mark’s account:
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” The most sacred thing that can exist - such as the Sabbath - should be at the service of human life, not the other way round. A church that places its patrimonial interests ahead of the demands of justice, life, and the people among whom it exists is certainly a church that considers man less important than the Sabbath and, like the Pharisees, reverses evangelical priorities.
In his practice Jesus didn’t separate spiritual needs from the material needs of human life. This is made very clear in the parable of the multiplication of the loaves (Mark 6:33-34).
And in this sense, all who struggle for life are included in God’s scheme, even if they lack faith. “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘ Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me’”( Matt. 25:37-40).
We agree with what Comrade KK is saying and doing because it is your fellow man, and especially the one who lacks life and needs justice, in whom God wishes to be served and loved. They are the ones with whom Jesus identified.
For Christians, living is the best way of believing. Faith without deeds is worthless; as James stated, “What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to him, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith, by itself, if it has no works, is dead.’ (James 2:14-17).
Our way of life should be the result of what we believe. Doing is the best way of saying. How can any spiritual guide of a human collective ignore its material problems, its human problems, its vital problems? Can it be that those material, human problems are independent of the historical process? Are they independent of social phenomenon?
Our country is too poor to give all its people great material wealth, but it can give them a sense of equality, of human dignity. And this is a proposition with a great solid moral, political, and social basis. It is said that he who betrays the poor betrays Christ.
It is also said that a nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens - its presidents, former presidents, cabinet ministers, members of parliament and other top politicians, important clergymen and businessmen - but its lowest ones. And Zambia has allowed its orphaned children to live like rats and stray dogs rummaging through garbage dumps.
We have a serious crisis of orphaned children in this country that needs to be urgently addressed. If the number of people dying from AIDS rises over the next decade, and increasing number of orphans will grow up without parental care and love.
The increased spiral of adult deaths means that the number of children orphaned each day is expanding exponentially. And we are staggering under the load. We have to find a way to remove or lighten this load.
And the loss of a parent can have serious consequences on a child’s access to basic necessities such as shelter, food, clothing, health and education. Orphans are more likely than non-orphans to live in large, female-headed households where more people are dependent on fewer income earners. This lack of income puts extra pressure on orphans to contribute financially to the household, in some cases driving them to the streets, to work, beg or seek food.
Orphans may miss out on school enrolment, have their schooling interrupted or perform poorly in school as a result of their situation. Expenses such as PTA charges or fees and school uniforms may present a major barrier, since many orphans’ caregivers cannot afford these costs. And extended families sometimes see these costs as a major factor in deciding not to take on additional orphaned children.
Outside school, orphans may also miss out on valuable life-skills and practical knowledge that would have been passed on to them by their parents. Without this knowledge and a basic school education, children may be more likely to face social, economic and health problems as they grow up.
There are no easy solutions to these problems. The problem of orphans is not a simple problem with an easy solution. The current situation is complex, interrelated on all levels of life, and cuts across all sectors of development.
Therefore, appropriate government policies are essential to protect orphans and other vulnerable children and their families. Orphans and other vulnerable children and their families are confronted with severe threats to their wellbeing including isolation, loss of income, educational access, shelter, nutrition and other essentials.
When families and children are forced to focus on basic daily needs to decrease their suffering, attention is diverted from factors that contribute to long-term well-being. There is need for the nation to provide for orphaned children.
When this problem started to increase, there was a rush by well-meaning people and non-governmental organisations to build orphanages. Given the scale of the problem, though, this response was unsustainable, as the cost of maintaining a child in such an institution is much greater than other forms of care.
Most people now believe that orphans should be cared for in family units through extended family networks, foster families and adoption, and that siblings should not be separated. Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that growing up in a family environment is more beneficial to a child than institutional care, which should be considered a temporary option or a last resort.
Ultimately, though, the extended family can only serve as part of the solution to mass orphanhood if adequately supported by the state and the community, as well as other sectors of society.
The community needs to be supportive of children when they are orphaned, making sure that they are accepted and have access to essential services. This means improving existing services. This certainly requires a change of approach especially on the part of government.
There is need to channel more resources to the Ministry of Community Development and empower it to offer effective and efficient support to orphans and their families.
Labels: EDITORIAL, KENNETH KAUNDA
posted by MrK @ 5:04 AM
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