The Auxiliary Bishop of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, Rev. Dr. Anselem Umoren (MSP), has called on citizens to vote for the right choices that will benefit all and not for selfish interests.
He said no one can choose evil and expect things to be good.
Bishop Umoren made the call on Sunday while fielding questions exclusively from Blueprint during the solemnization of Christ the King and Confirmation of faithfuls at the St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
He expressed worry that Nigerians are always between two evil choices which will not bring anything good.
He however stressed that citizens must do good at all times by voting the right candidates to power.
“As elections are coming people must learn to do the right things and vote for the person that is good, Nigerians are used to making a choice between evil and lesser evil but evil is evil and you can’t choose between evils and expect things to be good it’s not possible,” he stressed.
“As Christians don’t make choices for selfish interests, if you do, you shouldn’t be called Christians and your choice should be for the common good and for what benefits others. You can’t be a good Christian if you are not a good citizen and if you do that you would be deceiving yourself.
“Christians should be good citizens by making the right choices, Jesus Christ didn’t die for himself to benefit from it, he died so that others will benefit and we should all learn from that,” he urged.
The Auxiliary Bishop said the solemnity of Christ the King is a challenge to Christians especially Catholics to walk in the footstep of Jesus Christ who always treated those who did wrong to him rightly, describing him as the King of love and forgiveness, a suffering messiah, and a man who died forgiving others of their sins.
“Those who have treated us badly we harbor bad feelings about them and seek vengeance forgetting the fact that God has forgiven us our sins and the Lord’s prayers should remind us of that always.
He explained further that Confirmation is a Sacrament of maturity which enables Catholic faithful to receive the gifts of the holy spirit and produce the fruits, adding that the fruits of the spirit is the criteria to judge life.
“I want to encourage you, confirmation is not the end of learning, let Jesus affect your life so that no one will confuse you tomorrow so you can have an impact on the people around you, your environment and the world at large.
“Let Jesus take control of your lives, you must live well and follow the right values. We can’t celebrate Jesus Christ as the King and we are dishonest. Encountering Jesus means living a changed life like Zacchaeus and the Apostles so the feast is an opportunity to examine our own lives, live well and make change,” he stressed.
Earlier, the Parish Priest of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Rev. Fr. Gabriel Ekpe, said the Auxiliary Bishop conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation on 216 candidates including those who came from the outstations after weeks of preparation and exams to ensure that they understood what it is about, adding that he also laid foundation for the CWO skill acquisition Centre.
Ekpe also called on Nigerians to embrace Jesus Christ the King of Peace so that peace can reign in the nation, especially in view of the upcoming election.
“The more we embrace Christ and enthrone him as king of peace , we can be sure of peace in our nation irrespective of religion or ethnicity,” he urged.
The confirmation itself is a sign of growth for the church and made candidates become mature Christians because the essence is to strengthen their faith,” he added.
