Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Nigeria’s Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja is has challenged Nigerians to find authentic ways to survive in the country’s economic turbulence.
In his Sunday, June 30 homily at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Sabon Lugbe of his metropolitan See, Archbishop Kaigama cautioned against overreliance on prayer alone which he said cannot solve poverty issues in the country.
“Despite the current hardship, we are called to look for meaningful ways of survival, rather than sit and wait until the government does everything,” he said in his homily at the Eucharistic celebration in which he conferred the sacrament of confirmation to 200 candidates.
Archbishop Kaigama urged the people of God in the country not to tire of tending to the poor and the vulnerable with God-given talents while invoking God’s blessings in their lives.
“Prayer alone will not solve the problem, neither will folding our hands and waiting for the government to act. All must go together,” he said, adding, “It is our collective duty to make life better for everyone. So, we must do more than trust in God.”
“We must also make a move, we must take a step to approach Jesus, through prayer and hard work. God never intended prayer to be a substitute for hard work,” he said.
The Archbishop underlined the need for the people of God to work in solidarity, saying that all Christians are interconnected as one body of Christ.
This interconnectedness, he said, “calls us to reach out to those who are suffering and to share generously from our blessings, whether they be material resources, time, talents, or compassion.”
“We must all have a role to play in God’s plan towards others. While Christ seeks our welfare every day, we too must continually seek the welfare of others,” said the Local Ordinary of Abuja.
Archbishop Kaigama said that many Nigerians have ran out of options to survive, just as the woman who touched Jesus’ cloak and got healed after 12 years of suffering.
