Vicar General for the Catholic Archdiocese of Blantyre, Fr. Boniface Tamani has advised members of the church to desist from the lures of Satan which include wealth, power and honour to earn God’s salvation.
Tamani said the three temptations dissuade people from being focused to serve God with dedication, asking the Catholic faithful to seek the Holy Spirit which grants its gifts to people who pray together as one unit.
“Just like the disciples were afraid of persecution from the Jews and locked themselves up in the house but drew courage when the Holy Spirit appeared to them, we also need to emulate that example by seeking the Holy Spirit to fight the devil,” Monsignor Tamani said.
Tamani made the remarks on Sunday in Homily at Saints Peter and Paul Parish (Chilobwe) in Blantyre when he administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to over 265 people.
He said the Sacrament of Confirmation entails that the members of the church had become of age to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and bring light to the world, saying the Catholic Church is very rich in its teachings because the doctrines are very clear.
“We should bury our heads in the sand like Ostriches when faced with adversity,” he said. “We should always strive to fit in God’s plan to serve God with an undivided spirit.”
Commenting on elections taking place in the church at different levels, Tamani said the social teaching of the church explicitly spells it out that it is the responsibility of the church to bring light to the world by put people of sound character to help in efforts of growing the church.
However, in reference to the forthcoming elections next year, Tamani it was not the responsibility of the church to take sides with any political grouping or force people to vote for certain candidates, noting: “Instead what the church advises is that people should elect people with a free conscious.”
On this note, Tamani commended parishioners of Chilobwe for embracing the spirit of self-reliance, citing the example of the construction of a beautiful house for priests and the ongoing house construction for the catechist.
In his remarks, Chilobwe Parish Priest, Fr. Peter Phiri observed that the church remains very strong in the parish, attributing the development to commitment and dedication from its members.
“We have achieved so much because of the dynamic leadership of the executive committee and development committee,” Phiri said.
Chairperson for Chilobwe Parish, Christina Majejula concurred with Phiri, saying the parish was going strong every day as evidenced from the 265 newly confirmed Christians, out of whom 42 had been converted from other religions.
Majejula, therefore, encouraged the newly confirmed members to take part in various activities happening in the church by joining organizations such choir, Legion of Mary and Catholic Women/Men Organisation, among others.
Speaking on behalf of those who received the Sacrament of Confirmation, Elizabeth Madziakapita thanked the leadership of the church in the diocese for the growth of the church, pledging to use the gift of the Holy Spirit for the benefit of the church.
