ABUJA, APRIL 19, 2020 (CISA)-Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja has called on Christians to keep the church in their hearts open even as churches remain closed around the world due to Covid-19.
“The ravaging corona virus 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 disorganize our Church and take away our sense of caring for one another. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Please keep the Church going in your hearts. The Church is not just a physical building,” he said.
Speaking April 19 on Divine Mercy Sunday at the Twelve Apostles Church Abuja, the archbishop encouraged Christians to spend this period reviving and living the Christian values.
“This time is a very special and providential period for all of humanity. It is an opportunity to start loving and caring again more than ever before…This is time to practise and develop the culture of silence, a time to develop a deeper interior life, a time to read the word of God more and make it our daily bread; a time for intense prayer, a time to love without boundaries and to take our religion to a higher level; not just a superficial, external worship but the concrete application of what Jesus taught us about love, peace, service, forgiveness,” he noted.
The prelate urged the faithful to consider this period a prolonged retreat to encounter God the best way possible, quietly and trustfully sharing with those who need aid.
“The number of those who need material support and palliatives are on the rise. This is a moment to complement the efforts of 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,” he said.
