ZAMBIA: Archbishop Phiri Challenges Couples to Emulate God’s Self-Giving Love
Archdiocese of Ndola Media
The Archbishop of Ndola, Most Rev. Benjamin Phiri, has called on married couples to emulate God’s example of love, which is self-giving, sacrificial, and always puts the good of the other before oneself.
He made the call on Saturday, January 10, during the Marriage Encounter celebration at the Cathedral of Christ the King.
In his homily, Archbishop Phiri reflected on the importance of marriage and on why it is accorded the dignity of a sacrament in the Catholic Church.
He explained that marriage is not merely a social contract, but a sacred covenant rooted in God’s own love for humanity.
Drawing from the day’s readings, Archbishop Phiri pointed to the example of St. John the Baptist, who humbly declared that Christ must increase while he must decrease.
He urged couples to adopt this attitude in their marriages, reminding them that as the foundation of families, they are stewards of God’s gift.
Marriage, he said, is not about doing as one pleases, but about reflecting Christ in the home and faithfully passing on the faith to children and future generations.
Couples drawn from all ten deaneries of the Archdiocese gathered for this prayerful and joyful celebration, highlighting the unity and richness of married life within the local Church.
Also in attendance was the Minister Provincial of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM) for Zambia and Malawi, Rev. Fr. Mathews Kasongo, whose presence added to the significance of the occasion.
The Mass ended joyfully, leaving the couples encouraged and renewed in their commitment to live out their vocation to marriage as a true witness of Christ’s love.
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