By Olivia Obijiaku
Parishioners of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria have been implored to see themselves as messengers of the Word of God, who have been sent to propagate the Good News of Jesus Christ. Taking the stand during the Mass he celebrated in the parish, on Saturday, October 18, 2025, the Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Dr. Ezekiel Danlami Tijjani told them to shun the tendency to exclude themselves from the divine mandate, but to join the bandwagon of those who have been baptized into the Ministry of the Word.
The clergyman clarified that preaching the Word is not exclusively reserved for the ordained, but open to all baptized, who are expected to preach wherever they find themselves, through their lifestyle and relationships with those they come in contact with.
“The Church is missionary in nature and we are all missionaries.” The priest disclosed. “You are a member of this ministry of the Word of God by the virtue of your baptism. You do not have to be ordained a deacon, priest, or bishop for you to be a missionary. You can be a preacher in your office or the market square. That is why the Bible says that, ‘By their fruits you shall know them.’ Preach the Word of God in whatever you do. Your values will go a long way.”
“My dear friends in Christ, the natural tendency is to exempt ourselves from the missionary nature of the Church, where everybody is a preacher of the Word of God. But God has given you a family to shepherd. You are called to lead in your family, in your home, as a father, as a mother. Your children are shaped based on the value you transfer to them. They see and emulate the things you do. If you are a Christian, people will know by the things you wear, the kind of discussion you engage in and by the way you speak and address people.”
“We all have been sent out to go and preach the Word of God. Many of us are privileged to occupy offices. Let us transform our society, our immediate environment, through our witnessing, so that people around will see in us, the message of the Word of God. You are to stand for truth and justice wherever you find yourself in the society. Do not in any way tamper with the measure used to sell goods to people. As you go about your daily life, people will know if you are really a true Christian. We all, as members of the Church are preachers of the Word.”
Fr. Tijjani acknowledged the temptation to fall prey to the temptation of standing with the crowd, as a yardstick to success. He told them that success is not always achieved by joining the majority, intimating that, “They will tell you that you will not succeed if you stand alone, but sometimes, that does not pay. The little decision you make by yourself, can go a long way to transform the entire society.”
