LORD, HEAL YOUR PRIESTS AND PEOPLE
CHRISM MASS YEAR C, AT OUR LADY QUEEN OF NIGERIA, ABUJA, 15TH APRIL, 2025. HOMILY BY ARCHBISHOP I.A. KAIGAMA.
READINGS: ISAIAH 61:1-3abcd.6a.8b-9; REVELATION 1:5-8; LUKE 4:16-21
THEME: LORD, HEAL YOUR PRIESTS AND PEOPLE
I am very delighted to have you all, the Priests, the Religious, and the Lay Faithful of the Archdiocese of Abuja gathered in our Pro-Cathedral to celebrate the wonderful gift of the sacred priesthood and to pray for the sustenance of our priestly vocation. We are happy to have the representative of the Holy Father, Pope Francis in Nigeria, Most Rev. Michael F. Crotty, just as we have the presence of the Emeritus Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, the Auxiliary Bishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Anselm Umoren. We thank the Superiors of various Religious Congregations, deacons, Rev. Sisters, Rev. Brothers, catechists, seminarians, children, youths, government officials, the different lay organizations, the media, especially our Catholic Television (CTV) recently upgraded to GOTV, for joining us in this Chrism Mass.
The Chrism Mass gathers us priests as one presbyterate, one family of faith, around the Bishop, to bless the oils of the sick, the catechumens, and sacred Chrism, and for each priest to renew his priestly commitment as “alter Christus” – another Christ. It is a very great honour and privilege (cf. Heb. 5:1) to become priests not for our own glory, but for the service of God and His people.
Our first reading from Prophet Isaiah reminds us of the great gift we have received as priests: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted…” (Isaiah 61:1). Jesus quotes this in Lk 4:21 and confirms that He is the fulfillment of this prophecy. We, as priests, are sharers in His mission.
The oils of the sick, catechumens, and chrism which we bless today will help us in our priestly functions as we have been called and sent to proclaim the good news of salvation; to proclaim liberty to the captives, give sight to the blind, etc (cf. Lk. 4:18-19). We are to continue Christ’s saving work – healing, sanctifying, and strengthening the people of God.
Abuja Archdiocese has a total number of 368 priests made up of 215 incardinated priests, and 153 religious and other diocesan priests assigned within our jurisdiction. As Mt 10:1 states, Jesus called and sent the 12 Apostles and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness (cf. Mt 10:1–4, Mk 3:13–19, Lk:12–16). In Luke’s Gospel, He sent out the 72 (cf. Lk 10:1-23). He has also sent all of us priests to go as preachers of the good news and as healers. We too need healing as in 1st Thes 5:23, St. Paul observes that we are made of spirit and soul and body which can be wounded.
Far from being managers of sacraments or mere religious professionals, we are called to continue Jesus’ mission in our time – His healing mission. We are sent, like Jesus, into a broken and weary world – to bring hope where there is despair, to bring healing where there is hurt, and to remind the world that God is not far away. He is near. He is Emmanuel. We are called to live lives worthy of the Gospel, reflecting the mercy and love of our Saviour.
We know for sure that this mission is not easy. We face trials, moments of weariness, human weakness, discouragement, brokenness, and sometimes even isolation. We as healers need to be healed too. The call for a more synodal church by Pope Francis will be a good therapy for our sometimes wounded pastoral situations. Priests, living in the same house, praying together, eating together, and adoring Jesus together in the Blessed Sacrament together will most certainly defeat the ravaging devil bent on inflicting severe wounds on our psyche and our souls. St. Paul in the first chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians warns against the wounds that can be caused by division resulting in myopic tendencies or self-pity.
We had cause to organize a seminar on mental health for priests of the three Provinces of Kaduna, Abuja, and Jos in Abuja, and for us Bishops, in Jos. Our insistence on the constant psychological evaluation of our seminarians today shows that we must not take lightly the emotional and psychological health of future priests and priests. Even as anointed priests, we are not spared the diseases that inflict not only the heart but also the mind. Some of us weighed down by the burden of pastoral concerns may become unfulfilled in our vocation. We too need healing, especially of the memory.
I saw a Hausa video footage by a priest of Jos Archdiocese, Fr. Emmanuel Temswang, asking the Lord to strengthen priests:
“Endangered species: Priests!
When they are hunted
When they are wounded
By the people they heal
When they are sold by the people they set free,
Lord, give them the courage to love deeper.”
Not only are priests in need of healing, but our citizens and our nation need it too. Our nation needs healing from the festering wounds inflicted by politics, and harsh economic realities that do not only result in crimes and violence but subsequently, to unsound minds of our dear young people.
We continue to witness criminality that robs people of their lives which should be sacred. The brutal killings in Ondo, Uromi, Bokkos, and Borno; the several killings in Southern Kaduna including the cruel murder of a priest of Kafanchan diocese; the killings of some 16 soldiers recently, and many untold killings show a wounded and bleeding nation in need of healing. One can only imagine how many families are left devastated, traumatized, and broken severely. By now, one would think that with the combination of modern technology and non-kinetic methods, criminality would have been greatly reduced in Nigeria. The recurring violence in different parts of the nation is a sign of a nation in need of healing. How criminals known as “unknown gunmen,” kidnappers, terrorists, militant herdsmen, etc., are nearly never always apprehended and decisively dealt with is puzzling. They appear, kill, burn houses, and farms, injure people, and disappear, and only later to stage a comeback inflicting more damage than previously, costing innumerable loss of human lives. It appears that we have yet to get the right technology to hunt these criminals down, or is it the absence of goodwill or political will?
We are not only spiritually sick but also economically, politically, and socially. We need individual and collective healing. Luke 19:41 tells us that as Jesus nears the city of Jerusalem, He pauses and weeps. His tears are not for Himself, but for Jerusalem, for those who will reject Him, for the destruction that will come upon them because they did not recognize the time of God’s visitation. What makes God weep for Nigeria? Corruption, banditry, terrorism, bloodshed, etc. Despite the strong presence and the external practice of Christianity and Islam, many, reject the truth of God’s word and choose to conceal it and not bear witness to it; we put people who speak the truth down; we refuse to be instruments of God’s love and mercy to others; we choose to live in sin rather than God’s grace and mercy. We place others on the cross by our hatred and rejection of them.
To the lay faithful here present, I entreat you to continue praying for us your priests working in such a society as ours. Support us with your friendship, with your understanding, and above all, with your prayers. Just as we are anointed to serve you, your faith and witness nourish and sustain us. We must walk this journey of faith together; that is what Synodality is all about.
Dear brother priests, let us be instruments of healing, reconciliation, and hope in a world that often feels broken. We must not give up on the mission Christ has handed on to us by virtue of our anointing. Ask God, daily, for the grace to be faithful. God calls us to be faithful, not necessarily to be successful; when we are faithful, He will do the rest. Let us recommit ourselves to the service of God’s people. Let us embrace with joy and gratitude the mission entrusted to us.
May Mary, Mother of priests continue to intercede for us. Amen.
