Catholic workers urged to emulate Joseph’s example
The Catholic faithful in Mangochi have been encouraged to emulate the work of St. Joseph who strived for excellence when carrying out his work.
Vicar General for Mangochi Catholic Diocese, Fr. Andrew Nkhata gave the encouragement on Sunday during the commemoration of World Labour Day which the church also observes as the day for St. Joseph the patron Saint of workers.
Nkhata observed that Catholic Christians were supposed to follow Joseph’s example who despite being a carpenter strived for excellence while doing his not so decent job.
He said Joseph used to spread the word of God through his work.
“Everyone is being called upon to propagate the good news of salvation through the work that he does be it employed or self employed. We need to advance obedience, love for justice and above all else to expunge an aroma of Christianity through our faith in the catholic teaching,” the monsignor added.
Nkhata emphasized that Joseph teaches people that work is not just about earning money or a salary but that it was meant to enhance the growth of the church and the development of the country as a whole, noting that faith without good character was as good as dead.
“It would be a plausible thing for members of the church to be in the lead in taking part in various development activities taking place in the church through payment of tithe and everything else the church demands from us,” he pointed out.
He, therefore, encouraged the catholic flock to follow different labour related principles especially those that promote justice and equality in the labour industry to avoid disputes and oppression.
He added that every kind of work was first and foremost meant to assist God to recreate and protect the world.
On this note, Nkhata advised the church’s followers to thank God for the gift of employment whether employed or self – employed by demonstrating commitment to the same for their daily survival, noting that the benefits were supposed to trickle down to the less privileged.
“The biggest question that we must all attempt to answer today is; how do I serve God in my capacity as a worker,” Nkhata said.
In his homily, Nkhata who derived his sermon from the Gospel of John 14: 23 – 29 said Christians’ identity was supposed to be displayed through love for one another.
“People will identify you as true disciples through your deeds, words, actions and more importantly on how we care for those underprivileged in our community,” Nkhata observed.
Mangochi Diocese Vocations and Youth Chaplain, Fr. Christopher Sichinga said catholic workers across the country were not supposed to be motivated by earning a salary instead they were supposed to get satisfaction out of what one does.
Sichinga appealed to young workers to join Young Christian Workers organization whose objective was to deepen the catholic faith among its members besides advancing the social and economic development of the country.
“It is my prayer, therefore, that many young people will join YCW to serve God in that capacity,” Sichinga said, adding that YCW has a vision of promoting the Catholic Church’s values and ideologies.
Sichinga indicated that work was meant to transform and improve the status of the church and that of the world in its entirety.
“My message to the rest of the Catholic fraternity is that we need to commit ourselves to whatever work we do in order to contribute to the integral development of the world,” he said.
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