DATE : 17/4/2021
EVENT : Saturday of the Second Week of Eastertide
COLOUR: White
READINGS : Acts 6:1-7;
Resp. Psalm 32:1-2,4-5,18-19; John 6:16-21.
THEME: PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS ARE NOT SOCIAL WORKERS
Greetings beloved people of God. I welcome you to "My Catholic Homily Digest". On this Seventeenth day of April, which is the Sixth day of the second week of Eastertide, I wish to reflect with you on the theme: " Priests And Religious Are Not Social Workers". Beloved in Christ, it is clear to every sane mind that there is no organisation in the world that cares for the well-being of the underprivileged and oppressed more than the Catholic Church. In fact, in Matthew 25:31-46, Christ told us that the judgment of the world would be based on charity and consideration for the less fortunate. Furthermore, Magna Carta of the Christian call to the service of the poor and oppressed is found in Pope Leo XIII, encyclical of May 15, 1891 titled: Rerum Novarum. In this encyclical the holy Father charted what is now known as the Church's preferential option for the poor. This means that whatever undermines the dignity and full actualisation of any body is the Church's business. This teaching was further given weight by the Pope Paul VI, ' Populorum Progression ', of March 26, 1967. According to Pope Paul VI, the development and care of all people especially those striving against hunger, misery, unjust wages, endemic diseases and ignorance, has the Church's close attention. So, beloved, apart from these papal teaching, lived especially has shown that the Church, loves and cares for her poor and needy members. This is clearly shown in the activities of several groups within the Church, St. Vincent De Paul. In fact, in most parishes, large chunk of the yearly budget goes to charity.
Thus, in the first reading of today, Acts 6:1-7, we are told that the Hellenist complained that their widows and poor ones where often neglected or discriminated against in the daily distribution of relief material. Now, by way of explanation, Hellenists are people who due to the Babylonian captivity of 8th century B.C, have lost the pure Jewish blood, due to the influence of the Greek culture and intermarriages. So, when these group of Jews return to Palestine after their captivity, the remnant Jews in Jerusalem, considered them as aldulterrad Jews while themselves who had no Greek contact are seen as pure Jews. So, the Hellenists were often discriminated against and seem as lessee Jews. This was the dissension that arose among the early Christian who were still predominantly Jews. So, conscious of the distraction and problem associated with the distribution of relief items, the Apostles, who up till now were incharge of this divine charitable acts, decided to assign this divine duty to designated persons, so that they can be more focus on the salvation of soul, which is their primary responsibility and calling. Thus, rhey were quick to make a distinction between social actions and spiritual actions. Although both are simultaneously vital to the complete wellbeing of a person. They assigned the social actions to special people called deacons (servants), so that they will not lose touch of their initial responsibility.
Child of God, do you know that most priest and all religious take vows of obedience, poverty and chastity? Do you also know that going by the vows of poverty which they took, they are meant never to have a personal material resources of their own. Even when they are in charge of a parish of organisations, they are not supposed to be directly involved in the social relief of the people. Unfortunately, many of us have turned out priests into ATM machines, calling and demanding for money or support. Most family members have turned their son of daughter in the religious life into bread winners. The most annoying and embarrassing part of this whole drama is that, there are people who will never call to ask the priest to pray for them, but when they have financial crises, they rush to dial his number. Beloved, if you know the number of visitors, who come to the priest's office not demanding for prayers, but for help. A priest friend once told me that he stopped going to office because all those who come to see in his office only end up asking for money or good stuffs, instead of prayers and counselling. Listen to me beloved, if a Christ decides to organise material relief for the poor in his parish, if he tries to execute certain financial public project, and if he renders financial help to a few concrete dire situation, that does not make him a social worker. They primary responsibility of every priest is to offer prayers to God on your behalf and to bring you God's blessings. Anything short of these two is meant for other people within the fold. Let us desist from burning our priests with financial demands so they can refrain from stealing Church money to settle ours.
Oh that today you would listen to his voice harden not your hearts (Ps.95:7-8).
LET US PRAY : Lord Jesus, I pray that you may come to the aid of all your priests and religious so that they may not lose sight of the primary duty for which you have chosen them...
The Lord be with you....... and with your Spirit.
May Almighty God bless you in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ....Amen
HAPPY WEEKEND BELOVED FRIENDS.
@ Fada Emmanuel Nnamdi Megwara, MSP. ⛪
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