The Metropolitan Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, on Sunday urged Christians not to allow the dreaded Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to bury their faith in God.
He admonished Nigerians to be their brothers’ keepers and assist one another to curb the spread of the disease.
He advised all to continue to assist government in the fight against the pandemic, which has claimed lives across the globe.
Rev. Kaigama gave the advice in his homily at the Twelve Apostles Church, Abuja, which was made available to The Nation.
He said: “The ravaging coronavirus even though brought the whole world to its knees, is not powerful enough to infect or bury our faith; the social distancing is not enough to disorganise our church and take away our sense of caring for one another as the Christians of the early Christian community did in today’s first reading in Acts 2:42-47.
“The early Church grew everyday because of the acts of mercy shown by its members sharing genuine love. Coronavirus or no coronavirus, our faith and our Church de kanpe! You are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Please keep the Church going in your hearts. The Church is not just a physical building. If anything, this tragedy is a kairos, a time God has set aside for all of humanity to know that He alone is the Lord.
“I am the Lord your God, you shall not serve any other God but me”. You may be physically separated from one another, but please be spiritually bonded, in communion.”
“That a tiny virus even though can make the world super powers tremble, cause economic stagnation and make science and technology seem impotent, God remains Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. He can, with the blow of air, cause the virus to cease to exist.
“The Archdiocese of Abuja has provided the opportunity for spiritual and pastoral support by giving dedicated telephone lines to 10 priests and sisters who can support you during these trying moments. Please, call them and share with them
what you are going through. Keep your faith alive. Social distancing because of coronavirus should not cause spiritual distance but create a spiritual bond”.
He said with the lockdown many Nigerians are in need of palliatives, adding: “With the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitating the lockdown of some states and restriction of free movements among other measures that have been taken to combat the spread of the virus, many Nigerians are in dire need of food and drink, and many more may soon exhaust their meagre resources that sustain them.
“The number of those who need material support and palliatives are on the rise. This is a moment to complement the efforts of the government and other generous groups to come to the aid of these needy brothers and sisters of ours. We need to identify and unite with our suffering brothers and sisters. We have asked those who are able to donate into the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja Emergency Account opened to support those infected or affected by the pandemic, through a committee headed by St. Vincent de Paul”.
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