Catholics have been reminded to go beyond the religious practices they carry out in their places of worship, but to also build a community in which people care about the welfare of one another, so as to concretely worship God in spirit and in truth. The charge was given by Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, recently, during the dedication of the new church building of St. Gabriel Catholic Church, Ladi-Lak, Bariga, Lagos. According to Archbishop Martins, true worshippers will go beyond the external practices required of them and show their devotion to God in the way they live and in the way they relate with one another.
The Archbishop reiterated that the charge of God to the parishioners, is that while they come together and worship in their new church building, while taking part in the activities, they should care about the well-being of one another. According to him, “When you care about the welfare of one another as a community of faith, you shall be worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth. “Remember, that in any Christian community, in the apostolic times, we hear from the Acts of the apostles that they shared together not only their faith and worship, they also brought the material things that they had and put them together in one purse, and from that purse, all the community were given all the things that they needed.” He urged the people to have the same spirit of caring for one another, of being aware of the needs of one another just like the.early Christian community. “
Show concern for your brothers and sisters who have no accommodation, and perhaps we know somehow how and where he can get. Show concern and do something about it. If your brother or your sister does not have a job and you have a job that you can offer or you know where there is a job being offered, show concern for that your brother or your sister with whom you worship. If a brother or sister is sick, somebody should take note. Somebody should visit and show care and concern. And if necessary, call the priest to give the Holy Eucharist and the anointing of the sick.
That, is how to worship in spirit and in truth”, he said. For his part, Very Rev. Fr. Francis Anozie, MSP, the Parish Priest, expressed gratitude to God, and parishioners for their efforts, contributions, and sacrifices over the years. Fr. Anozie thanked the Priests who have laboured since the creation of the Parish, including, Very Rev. Fr. Patrick Moore, SPS, Msgr. Paschal Nwaezeapu, Very Rev. Fr. Gerald Onyejuluwa, MSP, Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Afangide MSP, Very Rev. Fr. Bernard Ngwu, MSP and Very Rev. Fr. Pius Oladele, MSP.
