FREE PEOPLE FROM “MORDEN DAY PRISONS”
Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe George Desmond Tambala has stressed on the need for the clergy in the Catholic Church to focus on helping people out of “modern day prisons” in which they find themselves by choice because of refusal to abide by the commandments of God.
Archbishop Tambala said this as he reminded priests and the religious on their God-given responsibility to bring the “Good news to the poor, make the broken hearted happy and set prisoners free” as Prophet Isaiah foretold as to what Jesus Christ would do long before He came.
“If people do not find peace and solace in our presence, somewhat, we have forgotten our calling. Many people come to us. Our calling is to set people free from their prisons. Some people are troubled in the mind, let us set them free. There are many prisons in Malawi. We lock each other up through lack of justice. We are called to unlock these prisons,” he said quoting Pope Francis on there being ‘nothing worse than a sad priest or a sad religious’ “Do not be sad looking religious. People already have their sorrows. When they come, dress them in flowers and not sorrow again.”
He was speaking in homily at Ludzi Parish in Mchinji deanery on Saturday October 15 during mass commemorating silver jubilee for Sr. Veronique Ng’omba, a member of the congregation of Sisters of Charity of Ottawa.
“For our priesthood to have meaning, we must first preach the Goodnews to the poor. That we must never forget. Secondly, let us give hope to people who we serve in schools, hospitals or in parishes. Most of these are heartbroken. At least let them see in us Jesus Christ who said ‘come to me all of you who labor and are heartbroken and I shall make light your problems’. This is the job of the priest and the religious,” said the prelate who is also president of the episcopal conference.
He observed that the majority of those taking their own lives in Malawi are heartbroken people who look up to someone making them feel counted as Isaiah prophesized and as Jesus would do.
Archbishop Tambala said the “2022 slave”, unlike those in the past, does not want to be redeemed.
“When Jesus Christ came to Nazareth at that time, slaves were happy that they would be set free. But 2022 slaves and prisoners do not wish to come out of their prisons. Prisons today are different from prisons of that time. Let’s us all do soul searching. There are different types of prisons that we find ourselves in today. There are self-afflicted prisons. We choose to enter these prisons and lock ourselves up. Our ways and behaviors that turn us into slaves. What we hunt for and worship in place of God. These are modern day prisons.
“Among the Jews, like today, the poor existed.…Since we are followers of Christ-we have poor people in our midst in Malawi. If Isaiah came today…and met those of us who have met Christ…what would be the message for the poor? Isaiah said what he said many years before Christ himself came …what is Goodnews to the poor today in Malawi? May be today the poor in our midst see no reason why Prophet Isaiah said what he said because they have no hope,” he said.
The archbishop stressed that it was the primary work of priests and the religious to help free the modern-day slaves even in the face of trouble that they may invite for themselves trying to achieve this.
Tambala enlightened that the physical, social and psychological hardships and problems that priests and the religious face is part of the pruning that Jesus Christ discusses in John 15: 1-8 (the Gospel during this mass) which must take place in God’s vine yard whose vines is Jesus himself.
“For priests and the religious, this pruning happens daily. We are the branches. Those not ready to be pruned better not take this route. Being pruned is the hallmark of our calling. Scripture is saying that it is the branch bearing fruit that is pruned. The fruitless branch is cut. Some writer once said why do bad things happen to good people? Pruning is tough but it is core of our calling,” he said getting priests and the religious to understand why, in doing their work, God will allow problems.
Archbishop Tambala said God prunes people through physical and psychological difficulties of this life, through the changing of His appearance inside souls (like Jesus cried out on the cross) and also at the hour of ones’ physical death which is the last pruning before the ultimate prize
