By Father Nhessy Nkulu Iland, IMC,
Little Dewy attended Sunday mass and was so much impressed by the reading of John 11: 1-46 on the death and resurrection of Lazarus. “He cried in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’”. “Come out!”… “Come out!”… “Come out!”… The preacher’s voice continued resounding in his ears long after the 43rd verse was read. He wondered how and when he was going to “come out” from the makeshift life he has been living since the post election violence shattered his dreams. A sudden strong desire to “come out” of his long lasting plight pulled out of his young and innocent heart a spontaneous prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ! You ordered Lazarus out of his tomb… Why don’t you just do that again for me now? For such a very long night, I have been in a tomb of hardships and misery with no hope to “come out” at all! Lord, I did not even know what elections were. I saw on that fateful morning daddy and mummy going to a poll station to cast their vote and give us a new president for our beloved motherland Kenya. Oh, Lord! I did not mind who would “come out” as president! I knew it would be a Kenyan leader, anyway I waited! Instead, oh Lord, all hell broke loose thereafter. I had no idea election meant trouble, killing, looting, running up and down… such a terrible nightmare! I would not like to see that happening again… Oh Lord, I beg you, spare me of that hell for the rest of my life!
Lord God! I had a warm shelter, food, clothes, school fees… You blessed me with hardworking daddy and mummy who took care of me. I had milk, sukuma, ugali and irio everyday… I had a future! But look how I’m living now, Lord! I tread from one place to another. I have no place to call home, no food, no clothes, no… nothing! Lord, did you see how my shack was blown off by the wind the other day it rained? Do you know how my strong daddy and sweet mummy are toiling to keep us all five children alive? The other day my little sister was sick and there was no money to take her to the hospital! My old brother was sent home from school since daddy could not pay his school fees! Yesterday we did not have enough food and we just don’t know if today we will find something to eat! Oh God! Can’t you see all that? Why don’t you say: “Come out!” and give us life again? Oh God, I beg you!
The other day, Lord, I heard a loud noise along the street and asked what was happening. I was told someone returned from Hague… Since I was hungry, Hague sounded in my ears like egg… I thought of the eggs I used to eat when I still had a place to call home! I don’t even know if those going there are really the ones who broke all hell loose on my people and me… But I know, Hague won’t bring back my eggs and my home too soon. Maybe Hague will take another decade, perhaps two, before it hatches the eggs sheltering those who brought violence and took away my dream for a better future. I wonder where I will be then, Lord, when Hague will be over!
That is why my dear Lord, I come to you today, begging you to dawn your sunrise into my long lasting night so that I may truly celebrate the resurrection of Christ, your son and my dearest brother! Sure, mummy always told me that we will rise at the end of time when you get back here; we won’t need homes, food, drinks, school fees… But now, Lord, I just need all that to stay alive and celebrate Easter. Why don’t you say it again: “Kenyans, sons and daughters of mine, come out of your tombs!”…
…the tomb of confusion of priorities where animals in our parks and orphanages are better protected and well taken care of than I, your son, for whom you created all these animals. They have now more rights than I. An elephant cannot be killed… I can be, anyway! It does not matter! Oh Lord, remove the splinter in our eyes so that we may “come out” of our tomb of confusion and give priority to our brothers and sisters, living beings created after your very image.
…the tomb of hate and division laying a wide gap between my people and those who took away our dream for the future. Almighty Lord, I beg you, extend the boundaries of our Eastern province to the Pacific coast of China; widen the Western province up to the USA beach! We will then “come out” of our tomb of tribal discrimination and nepotism to look at each other as brothers and sisters with no boundaries and with only one Father, you, the God of all Creation!
…the tomb of greed and selfishness worsening our sufferings day by day. Let the millions spent for luxurious trips and prestigious lawyers hired be used to build us better homes so that we may “come out” of the hot and unbearable shacks!
…the tomb that is prolonging our nightmare with vain and broken promises. Lord God, just as Christ, your son and our brother, became a man, let the words of our earthly powerful leaders turn into actions so that we may “come out” of the camps where, in inhumane conditions, are living in.
…the tomb of carelessness and irresponsibility making some of the people I always regarded with respect and esteem as my daddy utter words of threats endangering the next election. Lord, smooth their sharpened tongues so that we may, forever, “come out” of the tomb of violence.
…the tomb of stony indifference where we hardened and locked our hearts in hate, in lack of compassion and forgiveness. Oh, Lord! Give courage and humility to those who broke our life and dumped it into the tomb of gloom, to kneel down, feel sorry and ask for our forgiveness. In addition, give us too the compassion to forgive them. Remove in us the stone of indifference, Lord, and give us a new heart of flesh so that, as one people of the same Kenyan family, we may all “come out” of anger, bitterness, division, hate… to be able to forgive from the heart and love again.
…then “Hague” will be turned to “Hugs” of love and true forgiveness for a new era of justice, peace and unity… then Christ will rise in our peaceful hearts revived in the joy of the good news of Easter… then the light of the risen Christ will shine again in our warmer homes with milk and irio on our tables and bring back our sweet dream for a brotherly future of one Kenya, one people!
