FEATURE ARTICLE

Sunday, January 26, 2025
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HAPPY NEW MONTH OF FEBRUARY!

ow time flies! The month of January 2025, which we ushered in with prayerful vigil on the night of 31st December 2024, just ended without any delay. We have now eleven months left in the year 2025. What have you and I achieved in the first month of January? A good beginning leads to a successful end. My unalloyed gratitude goes to the Almighty Father in heaven for keeping us alive and leading us into the month of February. Many who began this New Year with us from the first day of January 2025 have transited to the world beyond. I was moved with incontrollable tears to behold the roasted bodies of many travelers involved in the petrol tanker fire accident which occurred at Ugwu Onyema in Enugu in the last week of January. The most painful is that a promising couple and their six children were roasted in the fuel tanker inferno. It is a pity that they couldn't make it into the month of February. May God grant them eternal life and console the bereaved families.

The month of February is the second month in the lunar calendar. It has twenty-eight days or twenty-nine days as the case may be. The normal year has 365 days when the month of February ends on the 28th day. But if it ends on the 29th, it is called a leap year with 366 days. This occurs every four years. The year 2024 was a leap year. No wonder our country Nigeria leaped into enormous problems like excessive hunger, banditry, kidnapping for ransom and for blood, terrorism, high cost of governance, endemic corruption, economic hardship as a result of bad policies, etc.

The name February is derived from the Roman festival of purification known as 'Februa' during which people were ritually washed. However, February has multiple origins. Partly it was borrowed from French: 'feverer or fevrier'. Also it is said to come from Latin: Februarius or Febrarius. All said and done, February is a man-made terminology and the second month of the year.

The month of February is a special month. The months of January, March, May, July, August, October and December have 31 days. On the other hand, the months of April, June, September and November have 30 days. The Emperor Julius Caesar modified the Roman calendar in 44 B.C. to make each month have either 30 0r 31 days, with the exception of February. Thus the Roman or Lunar calendar is not a divine ordinance. God made the seven days while man arranged them into weeks, months, and year. Those born on 29 February are unfortunate because they celebrate their birthday every four years. I hope if there is reincarnation they would not like to be born again on that day.

The month of February is regarded as an incomplete month. Hence anyone born in February is an incomplete human being. Is this true or false? Justify your answer elaborately. A certain man is called an incomplete man by his close associates because he is biologically impotent and economically bankrupt. Women regard men who are suffering from poverty as incomplete men. But in the eyes of God the Creator, every man is complete.

This February of 2025 is the last February anyone living now will see or experience. Why? This is because this year's month of February has the following unique features that happens only once in 823 years: 4 Sundays, 4 Mondays, 4 Tuesdays, 4 Wednesdays, 4 Thursdays, 4 Fridays and 4 Saturdays. This is known as Miraclein. It sounds like miracle. Of course it is a miracle that occurs every 823 years. Miraclein is a term used to describe a rare combination of weekdays in a month which comes up every 823 years. In the last 823 years I was still in the Platonic World of Ideas. By the next 823 years I shall be enjoying the Beatific Vision by the grace of God. This unique 2025 February cannot come up again for anyone living now. Even those to be born in five hundred years from now will not be alive in the next 823 years. If you have not packed your luggage for the eternal journey, hurry up before it is too late. From the month of March we shall begin to march to eternity. Delay is dangerous.

The month of February is globally regarded as the Month of Love. Does it mean that other months are for hatred? No, not at all! We must love one another always but more in the month of February. Why? Because it is Valentine Day, otherwise known as lovers' day, which comes up on 14th February. Who is Valentine? Why is the day special?

Valentine was a third century Roman Priest and a physician. He is revered as Saint and Martyr. During his days, Emperor Claudius the second forbade Christian marriage. As a courageous priest, Valentine secretly wedded young Christians and assisted Christians being persecuted by the Emperor. When the Emperor learnt of it, he ordered the arrest of the priest Valentine. Consequently he was arrested and imprisoned. During his incarceration, Valentine came in contact with the blind daughter of his jailer, whom he healed miraculously. This lady, her father and the entire family members were converted to Christianity and were baptized from the hands of Father Valentine. During his anguish in jail, Valentine was greatly helped by the lady who was cured of her blindness. Later, Valentine was asked by the Emperor to renounce his faith or get beheaded. He declined the renouncement and chose to die. As a result, the Emperor Claudius the second condemned him to death by beheading. A day before his martyrdom, Valentine wrote a letter of appreciation to the lady who cared for him while he was languishing in jail. He ended the letter with these two lovely words: "Yours Valentine". He was beheaded on 14 February 296.

Saint Valentine is the Patron of love, young people and happy marriage. Those suffering from epilepsy should invoke him for miraculous healing. Because little is known of Valentine, the Roman Catholic Church removed his name from the General Roman Calendar in 1969, leaving his liturgical celebration to local calendars. Nevertheless, the Church still recognizes him as Martyr and Saint.

Ignorance is a chronic disease. History is indelible. Most people do not read nowadays. Hence they wallow in ignorance. The Social Media has taken over and has distorted certain ideas. The youths of today rarely know the biography of Saint Valentine. A lot of immorality is committed these days on 14th February in the guise of celebrating Valentine Day. Some boyfriends and their girlfriends engage in sexual promiscuity on February 14 which is marked as Valentine Day.

Valentine Day is now generally known as Lovers' Day. What do we understand by love? There are two types of love: Agape and Eros. Agape is sacrificial in nature while Eros is selfish. Agape seeks for the good of others. Jesus Christ manifests the love of Agape by dying on the Cross to save sinful mankind. Thus the Holy Writ says, "There is no greater love than for one to lay down his life for others" (John 15:13).

The second type of love is Eros. It is erotic or romantic in nature. This is the type of love that a cat has for a rat. When a cat sees a rat and says to it, "I love you" the rat runs away without looking back because it is a camouflage. Some people confuse lust for love. Do you love or do you lust?

My dear, if you are celebrating Valentine Day, shine your eyes! Many have been deceived and dumped like rags. Avoid 'had I known.' Valentine was not an immoral person. Let us not abuse his holy personality by practicing erotic love. He taught us to be our brother's or sister's keepers. I wish you Happy Valentine Day in advance. Likewise, I invite you to Amobi Day on 1st April, which is my special birthday. I was born a fool for Christ. By God's grace and by dint of hard work I became a wise fool. I love you! Yours Amobi.

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