SimonMary Asese Aihiokhai. I have been playing with the idea of trying to understand why writing is a very hard hobby to have and maintain, even for those whom writing is part of their life skill. Man, I tell you, it takes a type of focus and existential alienation to embrace this skill. Yet, the content of writing demands a turn to otherness. One cannot write always without being amongst others and allowing their senses to sip all the stimuli needed for imagination to play out. While writing can be daunting, it is one of the most fulfilling experiences one can ever have in life. One wakes u ..read more

SimonMary Asese Aihiokhai Reading the recent Declaration from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, titled Dignitas Infinita, I begin by saying that it is a good document. It attempts to explain in simple language some highlights of human dignity that may be relevant for our times. The document attempts to address the contours of human dignity while also calling attention to issues that affect some persons. Issues that deprive them of the right to express their dignity in the ‘coreness’ of their humanity. This is commendable; especially as our world is faced with different hermeneutic m ..read more

As a theologian and a faith person, insights on faith and hope in God have become my second nature. I love it. It gives me a lens through which I can see the world and make meaning of it. But there is also another way of speaking of faith and hope in God. This one only occurs at the crossroads of life where faith and hope lack words. They embody a turn to the radicality of life. What do you do when, as a creature of language, you lack the ability to speak, or words become an alien to your psyche? At the crossroads of life, faith and hope become an embodiment of being in the world where meaning ..read more

SimonMary Asese Aihiokhai I have gotten fond of being in this little church in New England. As we celebrated the Easter Vigil last night, I noticed how little the number of parishioners were. We were less than 100 persons in this little church. But there is something beautiful about being in a small church. We were like an extended family gathered for a feast together. That was exactly what we were doing. How nice it was to hear the great ancient chants of the church being song by the choir. Like a large family, we all joined in singing. When we could not sing along, we followed with our heart ..read more

SimonMary Asese Aihiokhai If you have ever lost a loved one or someone close to you, you would notice that the day after the loss or after a funeral is like no other day. It is a day of total desolation and complete sadness. The power of death stares you in your face and there is no escape from it. This experience stays with you and becomes the foundation of an existential awakening to something deep that words cannot convey. It orients the one who grieves to ask the question, what is the meaning of life? This question, when asked, can never be unasked. It is a question that forces the one who ..read more

SimonMary Asese Aihiokhai Kenosis is an essential part of the Christian identity. This is because discipleship in Christ demands an ongoing emptying of one’s fallenness until one enters the eschaton with the risen Christ. This thought kept playing in my head last night as I sat down in the pews in this lovely little church in the middle of nowhere in New England. I have gotten used to a more imaginative approach to the liturgy in the pacific northwest region of the United States. In this little church, I noticed the complete absence of women in the liturgy, except for the one woman who read th ..read more

SimonMary Asese Aihiokhai Contradiction is a human condition. In fact, it is a core part of how to be human in the concreteness of that reality. There is no escape from it. Anyone who thinks that they can transcend contradiction is living a lie and has embraced self-deception as a mode of being in the world. These thoughts hold me captive as I allow myself to go through the rituals of Palm Sunday. On this day, Christians recount the memory of the highlight of the ministry of Jesus. I must say that it is a highlight that points to the mundane. Another form of highlighting will play itself out o ..read more

(Reflections on the Readings for Easter Sunday Year B from the Revised Common Lectionary) SimonMary Asese Aihiokhai For forty days Christians have been conscious about the Lenten demands of penance, deep reflection on their sense of purpose in life, and their relationship with God and fellow humans. For some, it is a time of taking seriously an altruistic spirituality that allows for radical awareness of their connections with others. After the time of deep reflection, Easter becomes a time of reaping the fruits of the turn to introspection; fruits that must be shared with others in a world of ..read more

The meaning of our lives is defined by the memories we choose to embrace. In fact, we are all creatures of memories. We each stand on the respective memories of those who come before us and who we hang around and from there we journey through life, and as we journey, we also create memories for ourselves and for others. When we understand this fact of life, we must then be more intentional in what memories we choose to embrace and the company we choose to keep. Without being introspective, we may end up in life embracing memories of death that never beget life for us or for others. Those conve ..read more

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