Vocations Director of the Catholic Diocese of Zaria, Very Rev Fr Istifanus Katung has called on the faithful to unyoke themselves of issues of the past and step into the New Year with fresh attitude. He made this call in St Enda’s Catholic Church on Thursday, 6th January, 2022.
The priest built his homily on the day’s readings in which the Spirit of the Lord anointed Jesus to bring Good News to the poor and asserted that hanging on to past hurts and hinders one from sharing and receiving the love of Christ.
“We all want to be loved,” he said. “Give love and you will receive love. Even if you do not receive it from everybody, there will be at least one person to love you back. Jesus came simply for this act of love. It is out of love that you can set the prisoners free; restore sight to the blind and bring Good News to the poor.
“Hatred, malice and other vices should not be found in our dictionary, but some of us carried the baggage of 2021 to 2022, yet we expect change. It is your attitude that needs to change, if not, there is no way you will get the change you expect.
“Some of what we suffer emanate from us. Your emotional stability determines your wellbeing, so do not expect to be pathologically healthy if you are not emotionally stable.”
Intimating that they have all been called to appreciate God’s love for them by loving their neighbours, Fr Katung said the movement of love begins with God and not with man and reminded them of their responsibility to love one another, as their Maker does – because they are made in His image.
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Olivia Obijiaku