ZAMBIA: Priesthood must be at the Service of Community – Archbishop Mpundu

Archbishop Telesphore G. Mpundu has urged priests to be always
available at the service of the faithful. He said this during his homily at the
Chrism mass at the Cathedral of the Child Jesus on Thursday 27 March, 2015. 



Speaking to the priests, Archbishop Mpundu said, ‘when you were
anointed with Chrism on that day of ordination, you were anointed to serve.’
The Archbishop urged the priests to be available for the faithful all time.
‘Come rain come sun shine, we have to available. If we are tired we go for a
holiday, But don’t short change programmes for our people. They want to find us
in that office,’ the Archbishop said.

 



Archbishop Telesphore G. Mpundu

Archbishop further said that, ‘the one who is anointed brings
gladness rather than tears, joy rather than mourning. In a parish, the
Christian faithful are energised, they are strengthened, they are healed, they
are nourished, and encouraged to carry on the mission of Christ.’  He
encouraged the priests teach the faithful how to pray authentically. He said
that the faithful were ready to learn on to pray, like the disciples of Jesus,
‘Lord teach how us to pray. ’ The priests should teach the faith that ‘prayer
is not just about feeling good… that singing and quiet moment of reflection are
part of school of prayer,’ Archbishop said. The archbishop urged the priests to
let the faithful feel part of the Church. ‘Let them own the Church, let them
not be at the peripheral of the church but they are the Church; and we priests
are their service,’ he said.

 

The Archbishop also urged the priests to celebrate mass daily day
and very often with the people as the Eucharist is central to Christian life. “It
is therefore unthinkable that we priests in the pastoral ministry would even
contemplate leaving the faithful without mass on any given day”, Archbishop
Mpundu said. 

 

He dissuaded priests from soliciting for funds from the faithful.
Archbishop said that the parish should not be a commercial centre designed to
make revenue collection. He said that the faithful were willing to help the
church but we should not beg for the money. Soliciting or begging for money
scandalises the faithful, the archbishop said.

 

Archbishop Mpundu also urged faithful to pray for the priests. “They
need our prayers; they need our support’ they need our encouragement, for the good
of the priestly community,” he said.

 

Present at the Chrism mass were Apostolic Nuncio to the Holy See,
His Excellency Jurio Murat, Religious brothers and sisters and a sizeable
number of the lay faithful. Chris mass is usually celebrated on Holy Thursday
to commemorate the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus Christ as the
sacrament and of the Holy Priesthood. The Catholic Church believes that these
two sacraments are intertwined. For wherever the Eucharist is celebrated a
priest is present.