utaziprincereflection

 HOMILY FOR 25 JANUARY 2023 WEDNESDAY- FEAST OF THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL (REPLACING WEDNESDAY OF 3RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME I) Acts 22: 3-16    or    Acts 9: 1-22;         Psalm 117: 1bc, 2;         Mark 16: 15-18 DOES YOUR PRESENCE INVOKE THE PRESENCE OF GOD! I pray for you: May you continue to proclaim that Jesus is Lord of your life by the way you live your life, particularly in the loving service of others. AMEN Today is the octave of Prayer for Christian Unity. Ask yourself, how much (in terms of effort) you have contributed to the Unity of Christians. What and what have you done? God is watching us my dear brother, my dear sister. Help the Church of God on earth to grow. Preach peace and unity. Preach peace and love and justice. Now to the homily of today.  I know individuals who make conversations and actions change when they walk into a room.  Before they enter the room, the conversion may be a...

 CATHOLICS IN ACTIVE POLITICS III  THE MAGISTERIUM AND CATHOLICS OF TODAY Rev FR Utazi Prince Marie Benignus Zereuwa THE MAGISTERIUM PROPOSES TRUTH TO ENLIGHTEN THE CONSCIENCE OF PEOPLE One of the special tasks of the Magisterium is to propose the truth of the faith, so that it may enlighten, educate and sustain the conscience of individual believers as a guarantee of their membership in the ecclesial community. The conscience of each individual member of parliament remains always and in all cases the ultimate and inalienable measure for judgment that nothing and no one will ever be able to supplant. It is before God alone that the conscience finds itself in the dramatic situation of having to choose. As with any decision, the political decision also entails the duty to give people something that is considered worthwhile and positive. It is not an easy situation; hence, it is dramatic, since from the decision an orientation is born that will not only determine the individual's...

 CATHOLICS IN ACTIVE POLITICS II COMMITMENT IN POLITICAL LIFE Rev Fr Utazi Prince Marie Benignus Zereuwa PRACTICE POLITICS Traditional Catholic teachings recognize not only the necessity of government for human life but also its responsibility to promote the good for the society. Since the church sees political life as natural and ideally a noble activity for achieving what cannot be done by private individuals, therefore, Catholics should and must practice politics. Citizenship comes with a moral obligation to be involved in public life. In a democracy where voting is a primary form of political engagement, Catholic teachings insist on the importance of voting. ENGAGE SELFLESSLY The basic Christian message has always been about overcoming the self in love of God and others. In politics, this gospel message means that we should engage not to advance interests, whether they self-interest, special interests, or partisan interests; but rather to advance the common good of the whole co...

 CATHOLICS IN ACTIVE POLITICS 1 UNDERSTANDING THE ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES OF THE SOCIAL TEACHING OF THE CHURCH Rev Fr Utazi Prince Marie Benignus Zereuwa INTRODUCTION As we seek to promote the common good, Catholics have a role to play in society that no one else may fill. To do this, we must form our consciences in harmony with faith and reason. This is because the complexities of our political landscape cause political decision making to be far from a simple task. The question will be: How then do we make practical political decisions? This question indicates and intimates active involvement in politics. However, the first thing we must do as Catholics is to take everything to prayer. We must pray for the virtue of prudence, right reason in action (Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC no. 1805) as well as for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially the gift of wisdom, and counsel. Having received these gifts when we received the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, these gifts ...