KENYA: “Do not Sacrifice Personal Prayers for Human Activity,” Nuncio in Kenya to Newly Ordained Jesuits
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
The Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya has cautioned newly ordained priests from the Religious Order of the Society of Jesus (SJ) commonly known as Jesuits not to sacrifice their personal prayers for human activity but to remain true sons of St. Ignatius of Loyola who founded the Order and be in constant contact with the Father through prayer.
Addressing the four ordinands in his homily during the Jesuits Eastern Africa priestly ordination Saturday, July 31, at Mwangaza Spiritual Centre, Nairobi, the Pope’s representative in Kenya and South Sudan highlighted that “however good human activity may seem to be, personal prayers takes precedence.”
“It is so easy to get lost in pastoral activities; teaching, studying, working with the poor and all other activities,” Archbishop Bert van Megen told the deacons he was about to ordain Priests adding that, “all these activities are good, respectable and can surely contribute to the kingdom of God.
However, the Nuncio continued, “All of them (pastoral activities) have also the temptation to seek for human recognition, human applause and to be acknowledged as prophet of the people which easily destructs us from being in contact with our Father.”
He acknowledged that humans are social beings and “we all feel the need to be accepted, loved, cherished, admired, adored, to stand out, have a place within the human society not to be excluded but be included, not to be rejected but be accepted, not to be hated but to be loved.”
Amidst the human urge and desires, the Apostolic Nuncio disclosed while addressing the ordinands, “the only true consolation you will receive in this world is the consolation of Christ, and nobody else will be able to satisfy you.”
“Cleave to him (Christ) in whatever circumstance of your life; whether in sorrowful repentance or expectation of grace, whether in gratitude or as a sign of profound love” the Prelate underscored, asking the four Deacons awaiting ordination to recall from the scriptures those who remained close to Christ and received his graces like the Canaanite woman, the blind man at Jericho, the woman who suffered hemorrhage, and the woman who kissed Jesus feet among others.
Therefore the Pope’s representative said, “Go forth and set the world on fire, and remember you will need a strong companion in that battle, someone who will cover your back, who will hold up your arms when you get weary, hence, cleave to Christ and do not let go of him.”
The Vatican diplomat further warned that cleaving to Christ can also be betrayal as Judas Iscariot did, especially, “when you try to use Jesus for your own intentions, for your own projects,” hence the need “to discern and understand where the spirit comes from and to know whether you are in the project of Jesus or Jesus is in your project.”
As you now enter the Promised Land he told the priests, “Let your heart be undivided and always belong to him alone. Many will cleave to you, will desire you, will want to have you, manipulate you and use you for their own desires and purposes, shake the dust off your feet and let them not take possession of you for you belong to Christ.”
Speaking at the same function celebrated on the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola and which culminated the Province’ congregation concluded few days before the event, the Jesuits Eastern Africa Provincial Fr. Kizito Kiyimba encouraged the newly ordained to embrace the spiritual exercises which distinguishes them as Jesuits.
“You have had the privilege of being ordained during the Ignatian Jubilee year for Jesuits, teach the people around you to see everything ever new in Christ and make the Church a better place because you are men rooted in the Spiritual exercises,” Fr. Kiyimba who is at the helm of the Eastern Africa Province since December 2020, said and continued, “This is the first universal preference that we have as Jesuits given to us by the Holy Father.”
The Ugandan-born cleric reminded the ordained priests to make God present in people’s lives and people’s experiences through the Spiritual exercises.
“Gather the forgotten and those at the margins of the society. Do that in the choice of apostolate you will make and because you are missioned by the Spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius we are celebrating today,” Fr. Kiyimba said adding that, “motivated by the same Spiritual exercises, accompany the young, the lost and the forsaken.
In conclusion the Provincial reminded the clerics to take care of mother earth and leave the world a better place than they found it.
