…Commissions 90 catechists
Catholics, Catechists in particular have been urged to continue to study the teachings of the Church and update themselves in knowledge that they have acquired, in order to impart and hand on the faith to others. The charge was given by Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins recently while delivering the homily at the 2022 Catechists Day and commissioning of catechists in the Archdiocese of Lagos, with the theme, “Lord do you not care that we are perishing”, held at Christ the King Catholic Church, Akowonjo, Lagos. Commending catechists for persevering in their vocation of being teachers of the faith, Archbishop Martins encouraged all followers of Christ to thirst for more knowledge, so that they could discharge their duties of teaching catechism well. He said: “Any catechist that does not continue to study and improve himself can actually become a danger to the faith. You become a danger to the faith because unknowingly, you will be passing information to your students that are wrong. “As they say, ignorance is bad. It is a disease. But little knowledge that does not grow is in fact dangerous. Therefore, you must continue to grow in your knowledge of the faith and your knowledge of that which you teach to your children, to your students.”
Speaking on challenges of practicing or living the ministry, the Archbishop added that these challenges come from sources that are most unexpected, as he prayed for the grace of God to lead them on. He said that everyone who tries to do the good and right and tries to carry out their ministry, will always face challenges just as their Lord and master, Jesus Christ faced challenges from the devil especially who tried to make Jesus shift focus from His mission. According to him, “Jesus kept the focus. He was not distracted by the antics of Satan, and therefore, He was faithful to his mission, the purpose for which He came into the world.” Reminding them that those who remain faithful to the end, overcoming all distractions will receive the crown of glory, Archbishop Martins advised the catechists not to allow their challenges to distract them from fulfilling the purpose for which God chose them and commissioned them, which is the ministry of catechism. Congratulating those being commissioned, the Archbishop informed them that God chose them and is sending them out on the mission of helping others to come to know Him, love Him and to serve Him on earth. He assured them that when they succeed in helping even one person to know, love and serve God faithfully in the world, they would be instruments in the hands of God by which the person will come to live with God forever in the world to come. “That is not a small thing. That is not a small opportunity that God has given you. I pray that all of you shall be faithful to that ministry through Christ our Lord”, he prayed.
