Archbishop asks faithful to pray for priests

ROMAN CATHOLIC Archbish-op Edward Gilbert yesterday declared that prodigal sons and daughters are slowly returning to the Church. Delivering the homily at Corpus Christi Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Gilbert said recent statistics show the number of persons participating in all Catholic sacraments has increased. He added that while some people were out “shopping,” the statistics indicate that they are returning to the Church and the Vicar of Christ. The Archbishop also appealed to the congregation to pray for the clergy because they are under  unspoken pressure and the majority of priests in the country were undeserving of such ordeals. Gilbert described Christians as “strong” and were able to bounce back from many difficult situations, as their faith in the Eucharist taught them to be faithful and strong. Asking that persons meditate and reflect on their attitude to worship, in addition to reviewing the amount of  time spent in church, he urged the congregation to “listen to the Holy Father,” and spend time daily in prayer.

Claiming that there were many disturbing things in society today, the Archbishop stated that we need to realise we are God’s people and that we have a commitment to the Eucharist. He also said many problems in the country were of an ethical nature. If we fail to recognise this and to be faithful, he concluded that we would ultimately fail. Prayers were offered by some of the parishes present at yesterday’s procession for a decline in   the criminal activity in the country, as well as for children who were being led astray. Yet another parish prayed that an increase in religious life among young people would lead them to the church. Some of the nuns representing the various orders explained that Corpus Christi was significant because it was a day when homage was paid to Christ, “in a real sense.” Asked whether they thought more frequent gatherings such as these would help to bring persons together and would contribute to a lessening in the crime situation, they replied that though prayer is important, prayer alone would not help as everyone had things to do and certain roles to play. Yesterday’s procession saw persons from every facet of society coming out, from the very young to grandparents being guided by their grandchildren, to offer prayers and celebrate the Body of Christ.