By Joy Odor
Seven newly ordain Priests have been told that other than preaching the word and celebrating the sacraments, they are also called to heal the broken-hearted, serve the poor, bring relief to those who mourn,
captives, widows, orphans, the sick and prisoners who are often neglected
by society.
The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Grace, Most Reverend Ignatius Kaigama pointed this out in his homily during the Priestly Ordination of Reverends John Anaebo, Donald Jooji, Lucky Francis, Mark Ogueli, Anthony Adeh, Samson Emhokidi, and Valentine Nzekah on 15th August 2020, Abuja.
Archbishop of Abuja opined that by accepting ordination, they have opted to be very close friends of Jesus
and to make more friends for Jesus while prayer will be the secret of their
success as it is the oxygen for priestly ministry.
He noted that John 20:21-23 invited them to be instruments of peace and
forgiveness and 1 Peter 5:2 urged them to shepherd the flock of God that is entrusted to them, not looking for a reward but with a generous
heart and to always be an example to the flock. “Smell like the sheep”,
says Pope Francis.
“We rejoice also today because seven dynamic and energetic labourers
who are ready to launch into the deep are being conferred with priestly
dignity.
“May the Blessed Virgin Mary intercede for them to be committed
to their priestly vocation for the salvation of souls, without counting the cost.
“Genesis 14:18 describes Melchizedek as a priest of God the Most High
who blessed Abram for his heroism upon Abram’s return in triumph from
battle, and offered him according to the convention of the time, bread and
wine.
“The author of Hebrews uses Melchizedek as a symbol of what Christ is like as a priest, and adds that the priestly dignity is an honour bestowed by God. One does not take it upon himself unless he has
been called by God (cf. Heb 5:1-4).
“The new priests we ordain today other than preaching the word and
celebrating the sacraments are called, according to Isaiah 61:1-3, to heal
the broken-hearted, to serve the poor, to bring relief to those who mourn,
captives, widows, orphans, the sick and prisoners who are often neglected
by society.
“John 20:21-23 invites them to be instruments of peace and
forgiveness, while 1 Peter 5:2 urges them to shepherd the flock of God that is entrusted to them, not looking for a reward but with a generous
heart and to always be an example to the flock. “Smell like the sheep”,
says Pope Francis” he stressed.
“When a priest stops
praying or prays without proper interior stillness, he suffers “spiritual
asphyxiation”.
“In the second reading taken from 1 Corinthians 4, Paul describes himself
and others as stewards of the sacred things of God, ready to suffer all
kinds of deprivations and they consider themselves as fools for the sake of Christ.
“In our Gospel reading, Jesus appointed and sent seventy two disciples to heal the sick, preach peace and the Kingdom of God.
“They were to carry no money, no bag, no sack, no sandals etc., depending upon God’s providence through their hosting communities. The seventy two returned rejoicing, and said; even the demons were subject to them because of the name of Jesus.
“Jesus however told them to “rejoice because your names are written in heaven” (Lk 10:20).
“Recently, the Consultors, Deans and priests and I have been discussing
the possibility of creating new pastoral areas, that is, areas that could be developed to grow into parishes in the future.
“This initiative is in line with the recent instruction from Rome on “The Pastoral Conversion of the Parish Community in the Service of the Evangelizing Mission of the
Church”.
“The early Christian missionaries, who brought the faith to us, left the
comfort of their homes, completely detached from their friends and
families and material comfort.
“We therefore need more priests today with such keen missionary sensitivity, who will groom these areas until they become quasi parishes and then full-fledged parishes, by God’s grace.
“Some priests may be sent to places without a parish house or church building, but through the kindness of our beloved lay people, the priests
will live with them, eating and drinking whatever they are given (cf. Lk 10:7).
“I call on you, dear people of God, to support this pastoral initiative
and to take up sponsorship in part or in full, of Church buildings or parish
houses or purchase of land in these new pastoral areas.
“Today, people are in search of witnessing priests not necessarily eloquent priests with all sorts of degrees.
“Pope Francis in his address to the Third World-wide Priests’ Retreat at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Rome, Italy, June 12, 2015, said God’s people know how “to recognize
immediately when a priest is in love with Jesus”.
“Support these new priests to be in love with Jesus and to be witnesses
rather than mere teachers or preachers. Talk to our Mother Mary about us your priests. Always ask God to strengthen the faith of your priests.
“Report us to Jesus when we err and invoke the Holy Spirit to show us the
right path. Together, we shall succeed in the name of Jesus.
“We thank all those who have been responsible for the training of these
candidates for the priesthood especially, His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, seminary formators, members of the vocations team and our generous faithful.
“We also thank their parents for giving them for selfless service in the Church.
“As we pray at this Mass, let us remember the families and individuals who have lost their loved ones in the recent guerrilla attacks in Southern Kaduna and other parts of the nation.
We have had enough of these killings. Dialogue can resolve problems better than guns, bombs and arrows. We call on the Government at all levels to provide immediate and
lasting security solutions.
“We implore the maternal intercession of our Lady assumed body and soul into heaven, that through her intercession, we may overcome the pandemic of COVID-19; have security and lasting peace in our country. May we, the priests and religious, receive the graces to be genuine witnesses of Jesus, so that together with our Laity we will be a shining light in our world so much in need of God’s mercy”Kaigama ended
