Nigeria: Together on Mission … The Church Goes Forth

The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan has declared that spreading the Good News of Christ begins with self-conviction and conversion of those involved in the apostolate. Cardinal Onaiyekan made this assertion during his homily at the opening Mass of the third National Mission Congress of Nigeria, held in Abuja, recently.

The congress which had ‘Together on Mission … The Church Goes Forth’ as its theme was attended by about 250 delegates from all parts of the country. The opening Mass took place at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, Garki; while the sessions and other activities took place at the Daughters of Divine Love Retreat and Conference Centre (DRACC), Lugbe, while the closing Mass took place at the Holy Family Catholic Church, Life Camp, Abuja.

Premising his homily on the theme of the congress, Cardinal Onaiyekan noted that all Catholic faithful are involved in the mission apostolate of the Church and “every member of the Church must be engaged in spreading the message of Christ.” Going down memory lane to the advent of Catholicism in the country, Cardinal Onaiyekan  pointed out that mission in the present day is a little different from what it was when the missionaries first arrived in the country.

In his words, “There was a time when mission was understood as going far away to go and save souls that were dropping into hell every morning, every minute.” He added, “People left their nations and travelled dangerous seas far away to go and rescue pagans from hell.” The Cardinal continued, “Today, the objective namely to go and save; to share the salvation of Christ with people is still valid but the only difference is that we don’t have to go far. Our theology of heaven and hell is also a little bit modified,” the Cardinal said.

The Nigerian prelate continued, “The line between those going to heaven and those going to hell used to be very clear. We knew those that were going to heaven: They were those that had been baptised and enrolled into our registers. That was the impression those days.  Now, it’s a bit different. We are now much more challenged by the attitude of Jesus Christ himself who came to spread the Good News of God’s Kingdom which is a kingdom of justice, love and peace. And anyone who listens to that message of justice, love and peace will be enrolled into the Kingdom of God,” Cardinal Onaiyekan said.

Cardinal Onaiyekan further stated that, “There are different dimensions of missionary task, starting with each and every one of us being missionaries to ourselves,” he emphasised.

The Cardinal further used the occasion to remind delegates that mission includes reaching out to the poor, the needy and the marginalised. He concluded by admonishing delegates not to forget that they were simply vanguards of the mission of the Lord, “We must not forget that it is the mission of Jesus not our own and whatever we do is only our little bit. We leave the rest to God,” he said.

(Catholic News Service of Nigeria)

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