KENYA: Newly Ordained Deacons Reminded to be Partakers Not Spectators in the Journey of Humanity to Christ
Archbishop Muhatia
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
At diaconate ordination in Kenya’s Archdiocese of Kisumu on Saturday, January 6, the day when the Church commemorates the visit of the three Wise Men who followed an angel to Bethlehem where Jesus was born, the event commonly referred to as Feast of the Epiphany, the Local Ordinary asked five newly ordained deacons not to be onlookers in the journey to Christ but be participants.
Basing his reflection on the feast of the Epiphany, Archbishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba referenced the message shared by the late Pope Benedict XVI in his book titled “Jesus of Nazareth,” when he said, “The coming of the magi from the East to Bethlehem represents the journey of humanity towards Christ.”
According to the Archbishop, the late Pope Benedict XVI meant that the magi had set in motion a procession that would move from generation to generation, attracting men and women to join into the procession and move towards Christ the Lord.
With this awareness, Archbishop Muhatia while addressing the candidates to be ordained deacons, told them that the manifestation of Christ celebrated during the feast of Epiphany “requires personal involvement and journeying together.”
“My dear brothers to be ordained deacons, we present you before Christ today as part of the journey of humanity moving in procession towards Christ the Lord who is revealed to the Gentiles. Remember you are part of this journey and you cannot afford to be a spectator in this procession towards Christ,” the Archbishop said.
The Prelate who also serves as the Vice Chairman for the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) narrated that the symbol of procession on the day of Epiphany leads Christians to the royal wedding feast of the bridegroom and the adoration of the Lamb of God.
In his Saturday homily, the Archbishop noted that the tradition of the Church interprets the gifts that were offered by the Magi that is: the gold, frankincense, and myrrh to represent the Kingship of Jesus Christ, His divine sonship, and the mystery of Christ’s passion respectively.
He prayed for the deacons and all the Christian faithful and clergy that the Lord may continue uniting them as a family of God and that “every member of the Archdiocese of Kisumu be part of the procession set in motion.”
