Dear Fr. Carrón:

I am very grateful for the work of last year and for the many friends whom God is giving me. On Christmas day, two bombings occurred in two churches in Nigeria that claimed the lives of innocent souls. Twenty bomb explosions occurred that have claimed the lives of over 100 people in northern Nigeria. The immediate reaction of me and my friends is to condemn our President for not doing enough to provide security for the Nigerian people. But reading and reflecting on the need for justice in Chapter 11 of the Religious Sense, I have now realized that I cannot stop there. Even if the government were to arrest the perpetrators of these incidents, it still wouldn’t be enough. What about the innocent souls that lost their lives? Who will do justice for them? What about their loved ones whom they have left behind? What about me? What can I do in the face of such evil? I am powerless in front of this tragedy. This leaves me no other choice but to cry out to God. Only He can render true justice. “Life is made up of a fabric of interwoven needs.” Those words are so true for me today. Just taking a look at my everyday life, I have discovered that I have so many needs–e.g., the desire for career success, the desire to meet my lifetime partner, the desire for better governance, better security, stable electric power, etc. All this is proof that I lack something. What I truly lack is the presence of God. So, as a consequence, I have started begging for Christ’s presence every day,that He accompany me in all I set out to do. Doing the work of the Beginning Day theme has helped me discover the wonder of my being. Seeing God at work in the ordinary events of life for me is a confirmation that God is making me now and, as a result, reality is always positive. In the face of the worsening political and economic conditions of my country, this is what I need to stay in front of–reality–without suffocating. My desire this year is to live more intensely the consciousness of the One who is making me now. This is the only true contribution I can give to my family, friends, and my nation at large.

Nyemike, Lagos (Nigeria)