A lecturer at the Benue State
University, Makurdi, who
is also a Chaplain of the
Good Shepherd Chap-
laincy, at the same Uni-
versity, Very Rev. Fr. Pius Ajiki, PhD,
has called on the Church to establish a
Thanksgiving Day to appreciate priests
for their selfless humanitarian services.
Fr. Ajiki made the call at the St. John
the Baptist Cathedral Church, Gboko
recently on the occasion of the 35th
priestly ordination anniversary and
61st birthday of his classmate, Very Rev.
Fr. Godwin Terwase Agberagba. The
university Don said such an act would
encourage priests in their struggles to
make the world a better place.
The theme of his homily was: ‘ The gift
of the priesthood is from God himself.’
According to the homilist, Hebrews 5
says every priest is selected by God and
anointed by God to offer sacrifices for
himself and for the people. “Priests do
a lot of work for the good of people as
a result of the Divine task such as say-
ing Masses, baptising, counselling and
attending to the sick, etc.” He said there-
fore that it is good that we should have a
day of thanksgiving to appreciate priests
with the aim of encouraging them.
Fr. Ajiki outlined three categories of
priests. “The first category is those who
do not go to offices begging for financial
assistance because they are ashamed of
begging. The second category is those
who are very industrious. They are able
to go out of their mission areas to solic-
it support from people to enable them
carry on with the proclamation of the
gospel. And the last category is those
who dedicate themselves to prayer and
sometimes do not go to the outstations
to say Masses. But then what is common
to all the categories of priests is that they
all celebrate the Mass. It is for this reason
that we should appreciate them as they
are representatives of Christ. They con-
tinue to do what Christ did.”
It was in the spirit of appreciation and
thanksgiving that the laity and the clergy
had gathered to appreciate Fr. Godwin
Agberagba for his faithful service to the
Church for the past 35 years.
Alluding to the Marian month of Octo-
ber, Fr Ajiki said that Mary is the mother
of all Reverend Fathers. “Jesus offered
his mother to us through John. Mary is
our mother and thus we are close to her
heart.”
He encouraged the clergy and the laity
to be close to Mary who has appeared to
many places including Aokpe, in Otuk-
po Diocese of Benue State. He narrated
how he had a firsthand account of the
appearance of Mary at the Aokpe pil-
grim centre. As Director of Commu-
nications for Abuja Archdiocese, the
Archbishop had sent him to cover the
story and while they were there, the sun
danced and the weather changed and
then they thought that they were going
to heaven. Thousands and thousands of
people were there. Fr Ajiki said Mary
continues to appear to us in our families
every day with her son. He narrated a
story to prove his assertion.
He said Jesus visited him in the USA
when he was going through some tough
times. He was supposed to stay in the
USA for three years and when he was
going through some tough times he re-
vealed his intention to come back to the
country to the Archbishop who asked
him to stay and complete the years he
was supposed to stay in the USA. It was
at this juncture that Jesus appeared with
his mother and told him that they would
take care of him and as a result he end-
ed up spending ten years in the United
States of America. ‘When you pray the
rosary, Mary intervenes,’ said Fr Ajiki.
In reference to a mystery priests per-
form every day, the changing of bread
and wine into the body and blood of
Christ, Fr. Ajiki narrated an experience
concerning the Miracle of the Holy
Eucharist. At a certain time someone
who was hospitalised and was going to
die asked him to go and pray for him.
The doctor said he should not give him
Holy Communion because he would not
be able to consume it as he was unable
to eat for many days. . However, when
he asked the dying patient whether he
would like to take Communion, the pa-
tient accepted. It was then that he asked
him to make one intention and the pa-
tient’s wish was: ‘Lord Jesus, I must not
die, I must live to praise you.’ After the
patient had consumed the Communion
Jesus worked a miracle and the cancer
patient was completely healed and is still
living to testify to the reality of Jesus in
the Blessed Sacrament.
‘Priests make this possible for us’ said
the homilist.
Father Ajiki in a similar vain empha-
sised the need for prayer. ‘Prayer is the
key. Pray for us.’ He admonished the
laity and his brother priests to be com-
mitted to prayer and not to lose focus.
He said priests should pray for at least
one hour a day and they shall not be
disappointed. ‘It is a time to intensify
prayers because of the bad news we get
every day. Priests are killed in our coun-
try now, we could not think of that few
years ago. In our place people are being
kidnapped and slaughtered. Are we not
Christians? Our brother priests live in
these areas and they are traumatised. If
we kill all the priests; who will baptise
us? Who will bury us? Who will wed us?
Pray for our priests and our leaders and
one day God will bless our country.’ Fr.
Ajiki concluded.
In his address, Most Rev. Matthew
Audi, Bishop of Lafia Diocese and class-
mate of the celebrant called on the invit-
ed guests to support the celebrant and
keep him alive to reach 50 years in the
priesthood.
He said the celebration was done dur-
ing the Extraordinary Mission Month so
prayed God to bless him in an extraordi-
nary way. He admonished the celebrant
to consider the time he has left with as
a moment of gratitude and continue to
serve God by saying Masses and attend-
ing to the people of God so that after his
life here on earth he would be welcomed
by God in heaven.
Bishop Audu tasked priests to have
personal experience with Jesus.
‘Be ready to tell your story, not of other
people , but of yours. Thomas had a per-
sonal experience. Each and every person
must have a personal encounter with Je-
sus. Thomas wanted to have a personal
encounter and Jesus did not disappoint
him. It was then that Thomas said my
Lord and my God. Have the personal
experience before you can convey it to
others. Without it we are empty,: Bishop
Matthew Audu said.
The chief shepherd of Lafia Diocese
outlined ways people could have en-
counter with Jesus. It could be done
through the sacraments, liturgical and
personal prayer. ‘Don’t just say prayers
in your room, go to the church and meet
Jesus there. It is different when you pray
in your room.
‘The Church is divided into two: Build-
ing and people. Meet with others and
pray. Christ says where two or three are
gathered I am there in their midst.
‘Read the Bible. . It is the way of God,
if we cannot have what God says in the
Bible, we cannot give to others. Let us
read the Bible.’
