By Fr Joseph Panabang SVD

Which Finger to Keep

When the Gonja people accosted me and wanted to kill me for helping a Konkomba man escape, one shouted from the crowd, “Cut off three of his fingers!” When I heard this, I could not decide which of my fingers to offer to the knife.

Hey!

After I shouted at the Gonjas who were attempting to kill my Konkomba catechist, naturally they turned and put the blame on me. at the Chief’s place, after the reinvestigation, the Chief decided to release me and my companions, but the crowd objected. As the rumbling in increased the Chief stood up, wave his left hand across the sky, and said angrily. “Hey!” And there was silence. I told myself, “Maybe this is the local version of ‘Rome has has spoken, the issue is closed.”

Eggs are Fragile

One week after my ordeal at Buipe Bridge from the Gonjas, I went to Soronoase Village for my thanksgiving mass. One catechist presented their gifts to me after the mass. He said, “Father, here are some tubers of yams and a crate of eggs, as our custom demands. When someone narrowly escapes death, we give him eggs to purify his soul.” The egg stands for the fragility of life. Eggs are fragile; so are we.

If He was a Ghanaian

While narrating my horrible ordeal at Buipe bridge in full and vivid details in front of my teary eyed sympathizers, my close Ghanaian friend interrupted, “Father, if he was a Ghanaian, he died of fear.”

Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabactani!

At the seminary I could not quite understand why Jesus who is God himself should cry out: “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabactani!” (My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? After my ordination, I carried the same problem until my close call to death by the Gonjas at the Bridge of Buipe. Now I understand a little.

Already weakened. I was forced to climb up on my big Nissan Atlas car. I looked down and saw the crowd pushing away all my companions who were trying to climb up. I couldn’t believer what was happening, accustomed as I was to exceptional Ghanaian hospitality. As they pulled away my last companion, I broke down in tears. I felt complete alone. Never before did I experienced such feelings. I was in the midst of people yet I was alone and completely abandoned. Now in hindsight, I believe as man too, in was indeed very possible for Jesus to cry, “Father, why hast Thou forsaken me?” at the height of His agony on the cross. If you have some doubts about our faith, better believer before the Lord Himself teaches you the hard way.