KENYA: Archdiocese of Nairobi Joins the People of Consecrated life People to Mark their Day
The archdiocese of Nairobi held its special family day for all consecrated people in a ceremony held at the Holy Family Basilica on the occasion of the feast day of the Presentation of the Lord.
In the Eucharistic celebration which was attended by all male and female religious The Archbishop of Nairobi His Eminence John Cardinal Njue told the congregation that this Feast of the Presentation is in a special way a feast for the consecrated people as they are all remind of the moment when God consecrated them to himself in various vocations. “In addition to prayer, this is a favorable day of reflection so that we can all strengthen our commitment to the mission Jesus has entrusted to us and renew our zeal to serve with dedication and conviction,” He said during his homily.
“Today as we celebrate the presentation of the Lord in the temple, let us also celebrate the presentation of the Lord within our lives and places of commitment. The Lord walks amongst us now, not in human form but in spirit and that spirit is within each of us. The feast of today reminds us of our gratitude to give glory to God for all the gifts and blessing He has bestowed upon us,” the Cardinal said.
Quoting from the book of Prophet Malachi, “…The Messiah will purify God’s people as a silversmith purifies silver by heating it until it melts so that any impurities are gone, so that the refiner can see his own reflection in the smooth surface of the metal…” Cardinal Njue urged the consecrated people to stand purified so that they can clearly reflect the image of the one who consecrates our lives. He added that God want each one of us to be open to his purification process and allow the fire of holiness to destroy sin and its tendency to engulf us. “The social Abuses that are all over must be overcome by a new breed of witnesses that are committed to transform society by being consistent in action.”
He urged the all consecrated people to remain focused and allow the Spirit of Christ to orient them and your commitments. He urged them to lead an exemplary life that can be emulated by people whose lives have been consumed by secularism. “In our world today, some are spreading false teaching about suffering that results in grumbling and complaining about every painful experience. These people do not see any suffering as coming from God. They teach that all suffering is wrong and blame it either on generational curse. They make no attempt to distinguish between the discipline that come from God and the suffering that is a result of foolish actions. Such people need to learn from you dear priests and consecrated men and women religious that Faith in Christ is accompanied at times by trials and suffering but the final word is in the mind of God. We need to take Jesus as an example; he endured temptation and suffering that qualified him to be a model of perfect obedience in the midst of suffering. His example challenges us to face suffering and allow it to produce godly character in us.”
The Cardinal also challenged parents of today to fulfill their obligations to parenthood by not just providing good education, good jobs and high social standards to their children but also to consecrate them to God. “This is not a matter of going through special ceremonial events, but bringing the children up to lead a good and honest Christian life, consistent with the teachings of the gospel. We all know that children learn more with their eyes than with their ears. The parents’ way of life in fact is the best catechism for their children. If parents pray in the house, the children will learn to pray. If parents practice Christian love, forgiveness and generosity; their children will do the same. That is how parents must consecrate their children to God,” he explained.
In his concluding remarks; the cardinal made the following special appeals to the priests, men and women of consecrated life:
1. Your first task must be contemplation. Every reality of consecrated life is born and each day reborn in ceaseless contemplation of Christ’s face. The Church herself draws her energy from daily beholding the immortal beauty of the face of Christ, her Bridegroom. Like Simeon and Anna, be men and women of prayer. Remain frequent visitors of your Community chapel and Parish Church at least early in the morning and in the evening. Do not just speak to people about prayer; let people learn from your practical example of sincere and consistent life of prayer.
2. Your second commitment is that you must never tire, then, of pausing to meditate on Sacred Scripture and on the holy Gospels in particular, so that the features of the Incarnate Word are impressed upon you. The word of God must remain the light of your life.
3. Your third obligation is setting out anew from Christ, the centre of every personal and community project: this is your task! Meet him, dear friends, and contemplate him in a most special way in the Eucharist, celebrated and adored each day as the source and summit of life and apostolic action. I encourage and recommend a Holy hour in your Parishes and Religious Communities. Jesus in the Eucharist must be the Rock of your consecrated life.
4. My forth request is that you walk with Christ: this is the way of Gospel perfection, the holiness to which every baptized person is called. Holiness is precisely one of the essential demands of our time. Let holiness not be looked from the dictionary; instead when people are asking to know what holiness entails, may they look at you and be satisfied.
5. My fifth point is a recommendation: Be light and comfort to everyone you meet. Like lighted candles, burn with the love of Christ. Spend yourselves for him, spreading the Gospel of his love everywhere. Through your witness the eyes of many men and women of our time will also be able to see the salvation prepared by God “in the presence of all peoples, be a light for revelation of Jesus to the Gentiles, and for glory of our people here”.
The special family day for all consecrated people is an annual event in the Archdiocese of Nairobi where all consecrated people come together to give thanks to God in a special way during a Eucharistic celebration done specifically for them. The theme for this year’s celebration was Praying for all consecrated people; Thanking God for His Eminence John Cardinal Njue on his 25th years of Episcopate anniversary and thanking God for the Golden Jubilee of the Association of Sisterhood in Kenya, which will be marked in October 13th 2012.
SOURCE: AMECEA Social Communications Office
