By Olivia Obijiaku
The Dean of Samaru Deanery of the Catholic Diocese of Zaria, Rev Fr. Patrick Atama has reminded the living that their stay on earth has an expiry date. Giving the reminder, while delivering the homily at the Mass of Wake for late Mr. Benedict Abah, in Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Thursday, January 29, 2026, the priest implored them to take stock of their lives.
Consoling the family on the demise of their beloved, the clergyman explained that the deceased was a gift, who has been called back home by God, his maker, to rest, because he has finished his mission on earth. He prayed that Jesus, who comforted Mary and Martha may comfort and bless them, nudging them never to lose faith or hope, but “Love yourselves. One important thing is to die in Christ.”
“We thank God for the gift of Benedict.” Fr. Atama expressed. “He has given us the gift of Benedict. He gave him the time to live his life and when it is time, He decided to call him to come and have rest. This means that even your family belongs to God. God owns everything. We need to realize that God owns everything. We are all waiting for time. Every now and then, we should be conscious of the fact that one day, we will not be here.”
“So, anybody telling you something contrary to this is asking you to live a life of fantasy, not a life of reality, because the reality is that everyone is waiting for time. We are here to pray for our brother, father and colleague, who was once here with us and to reflect on our lives. His life here has ended. We do not know how and when our own will be. And so, as we pray for him, let us remember to pray for ourselves.”
“My dear friends in Christ, life is a journey. In this journey of life, there is time for everything. If you live with this consciousness, some things will not take you by surprise. One mystery in life is that we are not going with anything. We will go the way we came, naked. No matter your qualifications, money, everything ends here. So, it is better to use whatever you have here wisely to serve God and to serve your neighbour.”
