By Regina Igwebuike :
Rev. Fr. Michael Onwukike, Parish Priest St. Matthew’s Catholic Church, Amawbia had urged christians to rekindle their quest to become saints of God, noting that only the righteous shall ascend the throne of God.
Fr. Onwukike explained that hardship, trials and persecution must come but only those who remained steadfast and trusted in the divine providence would see God.
He said this in a homily to mark the feast of All Saints (Solemnity) at the parish on November 1.
The cleric said that the Church is celebrating the feast of all the unknown saints who are now in heaven, reminding all that sanctity is within everyone’s reach, explaining that through the communion of saints, we help one another to achieve sanctity.
He emphasized that the saints suffered many tribulations but are now praising God with the angels, noting that only those clean of hand, pure of heart and whose soul is not set on vain things would see God on the last day.
According to him, the feast reminds us to keep our eyes fixed on heavenly things, to remember who we are and the glorious possibility that God offers us.
“We are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do not know that when it is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)
“The saints encourage us in our struggles as church militants because like us, they also endured struggles, grew from strength to strength and matured in the Lord as they grew over the years.
“If we look at the lives of the saints, they are not different from us except that they have seriously responded to God’s invitations to holiness; so let us rekindle our quest to become saints of God.”
Fr. Onwukike emphasized that the feast is observed to teach the church militant to honour the saints by imitating their lives and by seeking their intercession for us before Christ, the mediator between God and man.
He urged all to always accept the challenge to become saints by recharging their spiritual batteries everyday, by praying, converting every action into prayer and by doing ordinary things with great love in an extraordinary way.
The cleric prayed to God and hoped that all those dear to us who have departed are already or woud be numbered among the saints, urging all to always pray for the departed souls, especially this November.
He also prayed that the church militants would pass this pilgrimage to the banquet of their heavenly homeland.
