KENYA: Archbishop Muheria Decries Greed and Selfishness amid Covid-19, calls for Compassion

Archbishop Anthony Muheria

NAIROBI, APRIL 14, 2020 (CISA)-Archbishop Anthony Muheria of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri has criticized those taking advantage of the Covid-19 Pandemic to seek personal gain at the expense of others.

In his homily on April 12 during the Easter Sunday Mass at the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi, the prelate lamented that even in the face of death, there are people who are thriving in the suffering of others.

“We have become selfish, and gone against our Christian values…When we are asked to protect other people especially during this pandemic, instead of showing concern with love, we think only of my business, my post, my power, my reputation. The worst virus affecting this nation, and even makes Corona virus destroy us is the virus of greed and selfishness. We are used to finding ways of benefiting ourselves at the expense of the lives of others,” he said.

“The Corona Virus pandemic has left us as helpless as Jesus on the cross. Many Kenyans fear getting sick, lacking food, money and jobs while some of us have many other problems. We must change our ways. Let us drop our pride and self-centeredness and follow the example of Christ who gave his life for unworthy disciples. He did not give himself half way, he did not cling to his state as God and he did not seek praise,” he added  asking that we need to help each other in the midst of our suffering.

“This Easter is the moment to give one tunic if you have two, one lunch if you have two, give rent waiver, sell one car if you have three ,forgo  half your savings, give the fuel money saved to  help a sister ,half of your meat portion  to the poor, but without cameras,”

He lamented that death has become a business and political opportunity where some people thrive in calamity and asked that as the world celebrates the risen Christ, we should change our ways, embrace life and live for it.

“What will change our ways, what will wake us from this sleep of trying to outdo each other in power, positions and wealth. What will deliver us from the worship of money, politics and deception? Even as we face a death scare from Corona Virus, we still don’t care. When will Christ resurrect in our lives? How we pray that the risen Christ can cure us of the virus of greed that makes us so blind that even in the face of death we want to strip the poor of the little they have,” he said.