Let Challenges Not “extinguish our hopes for a better Nigeria”: Catholic Archbishop

The Local Ordinary of Abuja since November 2019 urged Nigerians to prioritize good deeds.

He explained, “Students must work hard and be awarded the results they deserve; people should be civil, learn to be disciplined and orderly in public gatherings; job seekers should gain employment based on merit, promotions should come to deserving workers.”

The process of “repairing Nigeria” can be best facilitated by those who “resist being overwhelmed by worldly desires”, Archbishop Kaigama said in reference to the Sower’s seeds that fell in good soil.

The Catholic Archbishop who started his Episcopal Ministry in April 1995 as Bishop of Nigeria’s Jalingo Diocese described the parable of the Sower as a manifestation of the contemporary world in which “God’s word seems to have lost meaning; where man has become too intelligent, that he wants to create artificial intelligence, and so, the word of God no longer nourishes his personality or shapes his way of life.”

“Even with the so-called scientific and technological progress, we are encouraged to read, study, pray, meditate on the word of God so that we will bear good fruits, in thirty, sixty, hundred folds and more,” he said. 

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Archbishop Kaigama added, “What a difference it would make if politicians, professionals, private citizens, who profess faith in God allow His word to be the determining factor in their lives! Rather, we see God as some kind of a policeman to whom we run only when we are in trouble.”

In his July 16 homily, the Catholic Archbishop who will turn 65 on July 31 also reflected on the transformative power of the word of God.

He said, “The word of God has the power to change hearts (including the hearts of kidnappers, murderers, and offenders against humanity); it can make them shed their sinful ways and embrace the journey of faith by finding better ways of navigating through the challenges of life.”

“The word of God is creative, transforming, healing, redemptive, etc., and so, we are asked to open ourselves to it to nourish and enrich our lives,” the Nigerian Catholic Church leader further said.

He continued, “When we allow the Word of God to permeate the depths of our being, it becomes a lamp to our feet and a guide to our path.”