By Olivia Obijiaku
The Dean of Samaru Deanery of the Catholic Diocese of Zaria, Very Rev. Fr. Patrick Atama has urged Christians to seek the approval of God instead of that of the crowd, especially on the social media. He dwelt on the Gospel text of Wednesday, 9th September, 2026, (Luke 6:20-26) in which said, ‘Woe to you, when all men speak well of you, for their fathers did the same to false prophets,’ in clarifying that, though approvals from men are not always bad, it can mislead some people into clinging tightly to them, whether or not they are against the will of God. The clergyman encouraged them to weigh such approvals with what God is saying about them. He noted that standing out is not easy but guided that Jesus told them to accept the Cross when people hate them because of His Name. He implored them to remain faithful, no matter the challenges, even though, faithfulness is not easy. “It comes with pains, discipline, perseverance and trust. You are to water it every now and then. Do the right thing. Do not remain there when you fall. Stand up and continue.”“The approval of God is the most important thing.” The dean affirmed. “It is not bad for people to speak well of you but sometimes when people speak well of you, you may develop the mentality of waiting for the approval of people always, not minding the approval of God. Jesus is not saying that the approval of men is bad, but is the outside show in line with the will of God? We live in a world where people can easily applaud for you because of what you are doing. But the same people will condemn you tomorrow.” “We live a life of likes, followers, comments, public opinions, judgment based on financial worth. Sometimes, some people want to know how many people are following them on social media, how many people comment and how many people like them. That is what makes them happy. If you are that kind of person, the same crowd that hailed today, may castigate you tomorrow. Do you have the mind to absorb such things? Are you in good standing with God? Do not surrender yourself to every public opinion to feel accepted.”
