BAD CATHOLICS SADDENS BISHOP
By Christopher Miti
NDOLA Catholic Diocese Bishop Benjamin Phiri says he is always saddened with some untrustworthy Catholics who are holding public offices.
He has urged Christians to stick to the truth and ignore bad rights which do not last.
During mass at St Anne’s Cathedral Parish in Chipata Diocese on Sunday, Bishop Phiri said those that are in public or private offices
should always serve people in the right manner.
“What saddens me most of the time are those of you Catholics who are in public offices but you are not trusted although you were given that job by God. Most of the times when you go for work you only contemplate on how you are going to benefit on individual basis. We pay you money, we are the ones that pay you because we pay taxes. If we stop paying taxes there will be no salary for you. Even the money that come from tollgates, whether that’s the money that you get, we are the
ones who pay that money for you to get paid,” Bishop Phiri said. “Now despite paying taxes, when I come to your office to seek services according to your job, you
want me to pay you again! Now that extra money you asked for is not yours. You are actually stealing.”
He said some people in public offices although they look respectable with jackets, they are criminals.
“Such bad things cannot please God. All the bag things that you do in order to take advantage of the people do not please God. We should know that we go in separate ways with God if we do bad. We should be ready to suffer because we are true witnesses of Jesus Christ. If you are not trusted and you commit an offence then they want to punish you
because you stole, then you say ‘Lord where are you?’ But was the Lord with you when you were committing an offence?” Bishop Phiri asked. “I thought you ran away
from the face of God to go and do those bad things? That’s not Christianity. Let’s stand for the truth.”
Bishop Phiri said people should not just support things because a lot of people are supporting them.
“It is up to us to choose what we want. What exactly do we want from God? Where are we going to stand? We are going to stand on things that maybe most people support because that’s what most people do or what?
These days we see strange things, like the teachings that are coming now. They say everyone has a right to do what they want to do. They say if someone doesn’t want to have a child, it is their right to abort because it is their body. They say it is a right for a person to marry someone of the same sex. For us Christians we know the teaching of God. It has not changed,” he said.
Bishop Phiri said the earthly teachings come and go but God’s teachings stay forever.
“Governments come and go. God and God’s words will remain there up to the end of the world. What we should do is to know where we stand. We should not be taken by the love of earthly riches because if you say you accept what the international community wants, even the United Nations, because they threaten these days that ‘if you don’t accept
this you will not receive help that will boost the economy of your country but if you accept you will get assistance’,” said Bishop Phiri. “Now, we choose whether we want money to become rich or we need God to help us in both good and bad situations that we can face for standing for the truth. This is a question and right that each one of us can answer on our own.”