…calls for humility, sacrifice
The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, has tasked leaders and political office holders to utilise the opportunity while in power to provide basic amenities and make life meaningful to the citizens.
He warned that when leaders who fail to provide for the citizens leave office, the persons who hailed them while in the office will be the same people that will call for their ‘crucification’.
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In a deeply reflective homily delivered on Palm Sunday at the Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, Kaigama, called on both political and religious leaders to shun vanity and instead embrace the spirit of humility, selfless service, and sacrificial love, as exemplified by Jesus Christ.
Speaking on the theme ‘The King Who Chooses the Cross as His Throne’, Archbishop Kaigama highlighted the contradiction between the jubilant crowd that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem and the same crowd that later demanded His crucifixion.
“They shouted ‘Hosanna’ and later cried ‘Crucify Him.’ Are we surprised?” the Archbishop asked, drawing a parallel between that moment and the inconsistency in modern Christian lives and leadership.
He warned leaders not to be carried away by titles and public praise, urging them instead to focus on providing for the needs of their people. “Political leaders should remember that after elections, people may shout ‘Hosanna,’ but when faced with hunger, insecurity, and neglect, they will cry out ‘Crucify them,’” he said.
The same, he noted, applies to religious leaders who fail to live up to their responsibilities, especially those who exploit their followers under the guise of promises not rooted in God.
Archbishop Kaigama emphasised that Jesus’ kingship was never about power or force but about love, suffering, and total obedience to God. “He reigned not by power, but by love; He conquered not by force, but by surrender,” he noted, urging Christians to be active participants in the mystery of Christ’s Passion, not mere spectators.
Drawing lessons from the readings, especially the image of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah, he encouraged the faithful to remain steadfast in faith amid trials and to trust God even in suffering, as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. “Let our prayers always include the humble clause: ‘not my will, but Yours be done,’” he said.
He concluded with a call for personal and communal reflection during Holy Week, urging all to draw closer to Christ through acts of love, humility, and spiritual renewal. “May this Holy Week be for each of us a time of deep conversion. Christ walks before us, with us, and within us.”