By Stella Enenche, Abuja
The Archbishop of the Abuja Archdiocese, Most Revd Ignatius Kaigama has called on women to be true mothers in their homes, advising them not to try to be men.
The Archbishop gave the advise during his homily on Sunday to celebrate this year’s Mother’s Day at St. Donald’s Parish, Karu Abuja.
The most Reverend also urged women to accept their God given roles gladly and exercise them diligently.
He said,” to all mothers, as we celebrate you today, I urge you to continue to bear witness to Christ in your various homes and the society at large. Be true mothers who are models to their children in virtue. That is what God calls you to.
“Do not try to be men or to want to be like them. Accept your role gladly and exercise it diligently. As the recent Vatican Document, “Infinite Dignity,” affirms, the difference between male and female is real, inviolable, and a gift from God. May God bless you and strengthen you to carry out your responsibilities to the glory of God.
“Mothers are the hearts of the family and the designers of the family. Mothers have an important role in the children’s growth. We recognize your place and the irreplaceable role you play in the life of the home, and we do not take that for granted. According to Pope Francis, a mother is a life-giver. This is what we celebrate today on Mother’s Day.
Furthermore the cleric enjoined Christians to be courageous and stand for the truth always.
“This is a call and a reminder to
us all to accept our responsibility as followers of Christ, called to be witnesses. A witness is someone who speaks from firsthand experience of what has happened. Like the
apostles, we must be courageous to stand up for the truth of the Gospel and not just to stand for a while, but to remain standing, come what may.
“We must not be ashamed of bearing witness to the truth of the Gospel. Whenever we allow the world to shut us up from proclaiming the Gospel, we are saying that the story that the world has is more important than the story of the resurrection. And when we do this, we are crucifying Jesus again and again.
“However, note that when we take up our responsibilities, we will be wounded, because the world will hate us. As Christians, we cannot go through this world without wounds and scars. Our faith must be kept burning. A burning faith can result in either of two
things: a balanced faith that translates into good actions; or a fanatical faith that translates into violence, killing, maiming, and destroying property without the slightest
compunction, i.e. an irrational, stupid, and blind faith.
“Also, we can have a dull faith that is incapable of making a difference in one’s life or society. Such faith may even question the existence of God, as is increasingly done by those who think science and technology and the use of artificial intelligence are the only
solutions to human problems. That is not the kind of faith Christ wants of us. We are called to have a balance; a faith that will prompt us to bear witness in good actions,”he said.
