By Ononye VC
The Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Onitsha,Very Rev Fr Johnbosco Okafor has called on christians to seek more of the benefits of spiritual food than the physical which will not lead them to eternal life other than damnation.
The Vicar General who is also the Parish Priest of St Mary’s Catholic Church,Onitsha Inland Town was speaking while delivering a sermon during a mass in the church.
According to Fr Johnbosco,man has a soul which has to do with the spiritual part of human being and remains the most important as far as man’s relationship with God is concerned.
He pointed out that,that was the reason why Jesus was more concerned about the food that endures forever in the Gospel when He said,”Do not work for food that cannot last,but work for food that endures to eternal life; the kind of food the son of man is offering you for free”(In 6:27).
The Vicar General explained further, saying that it was exactly what Isaiah had earlier prophesied when he said:”Oh,come to the water all you who are thirsty,though you have no money”.
He blamed the faithful for putting their minds in so many worries of the world which according to him lead to distractions from worshipping and doing those things that edify God.
Fr Johnbosco said,”My dear child of God,our body needs food to remain healthy and I pray that God will always provide for you and your entire family.”
He urged the faithful not to lose sight of the fact that their souls will one day stand before the judgement seat of God for the final trial and sentencing That was the reason he said,the faithful must listen to the admonitions of St Paul in the Second Reading of the day where he spoke about the new life in Christ saying; “In particular,I want to urge you in the name of the Lord,not to go on living the aimless kind of life that the pagans live”.
Intellectually he said,they are in the dark and they are estranged from the life of God.”So from now on,there must be no more lies.Anyone who was a thief must stop stealing and find a useful thing to do”.
Fr Johnbosco urged christians to guard against foul talk and let their words be for the improvement of others so that the Holy Spirit Will endow you with the necessary blessings of God.
“Never have grudges against others or lose your temper,or raise your voice to anybody,or call each other names,or allow any sort of spitefulness.Be friends with one another and kind,forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ”,the Vicar General admonished.