Newly ordained Priests of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kisumu in Kenya have been urged to “zealously” protect their Priestly vocation, and to live “respectable lives” that conform to their divine calling.
In his homily during the ordination to the Priesthood of eight Deacons at Tumsifu Centre in his Metropolitan See, Archbishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba said, “My dear brothers, you must desist from a life that is contrary to your vocation. These Christians gathered here today have a lot of expectations of you. You must live respectable lives and protect your vocations zealously.”
Archbishop Muhatia cautioned the Deacons he was about to ordain Priests against tendencies that put them in competition with members of the Laity, and “the flock of Christ”.
“As Priests, you must desist from anything excessive because you have been appointed overseers over the flock of Christ which He acquired by His own blood,” said the Local Ordinary of Kisumu Archdiocese during the November 18 event.
Turning his attention to the lay faithful, the Catholic Archbishop who started his Episcopal Ministry in February 2010 as Bishop of Kenya’s Nakuru Diocese said, “And you dear laity, don’t overindulge your Priests. If a Priest invites you for a drink in the bar, run away because you want to contribute to his downfall by going with him and accompanying him.”
He went on to encourage the Deacons he was to ordain Priests to emulate Jesus Christ in their Priestly ministry, witnessing His love.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon you and the lord has recreated you in Christ to bring an end to the shame of sin in the people you meet by bringing an end to the shame of sin in yourselves,” he further said.
Archbishop Muhatia continued, “Your vestments are symbols of the restoration of the grace of God that had been lost in sin. Every time you vest as a Priest, you become a manifestation of return to God and of total removal of the shame of nakedness of Adam and Eve.”
The 55-year-old Catholic Archbishop, who has been at the helm of Kisumu Archdiocese since 19 March 2022 urged the new Priests to embrace their Priestly vestments as they represent God’s grace.
“The world will listen when we speak to it vested in the habit and vestment of Grace; the World will not listen if we speak to it without this habit, without this vestment,” he emphasized.
The ordination of the eight Deacons to the Priesthood in the Archdiocese of Kisumu, Archbishop Muhatia further said, “serves as a constant reminder that the Lord has chosen each one of us to live the Christian vocation in a specific way.”
“It is this specificity that will define our service and draw us closer to Christ,” he said.