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By Vivian Onyebukwa
Nigerians have been urged to embrace peace, love, hope, charity and humility to make remarkable achievements in the country.
Brigadier General, Lagos Grand Commandery, Peter Osamgbi, stated this during the celebration of the nativity of the Patron Saint of Knights of St John International, St. John the Baptist, which took place at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Gowon Estate, Lagos, recently.
Osamgbi, who represented the Grand President of Knights of St. John, Lagos Grand Commandery, stated that, if the leaders are humble enough, they can serve the people so dutifully that Nigeria would be a better place.
Osamgbi explained the reason for the celebration, saying: “We decided as a group to celebrate this which is an annual event because of what St. John the Baptist means today to the liturgy in the Catholic Church. The point is that we, as Knights of St. John International, the fraternal family apostolic in the Catholic Church, under the supervision of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, believe that we are here as a people to defend the Catholic faith, which has been handed over to us by generations.
“So, what we are doing today is to commemorate, not just the nativity of St. John the Baptist, but also to thank God for what he has done both in our lives as individuals and in our lives as an organisation.”
In his message to the Nigerian people, he said: “In whatever we do, like it was said today in the homily, which was the theme of the gospel reading, that in all we do, we should think God first, irrespective of who you are, what you do, or individual attainment. If you think God first, you will do well in what you do because God is merciful, accommodating, loving and forgiving.”
He admonished those in authority to serve for the benefit of the society. He said: “The leadership position you have found yourself in is not by your own making, it is by God’s gift. So, you should use that very well to serve people for the benefit of the society.”
He noted that the celebration took place across the world where they have Knight of St John International, and described it as a unique day in their history as an organisation and in their Catholic faith.
The event was heralded with a high mass officiated by Rev Fr Mark Anthony Nwoko, who said the homily with the theme, “God Over Everything”.
The Bible readings were taken from Jeremiah 20:10-13, Romans 5: 12-15 and Mathew 10: 26-33. Rev Fr Nwoko stated that the essence of life is summarised in “Why God created you”.
He asked the congregation to commit themselves to the alter of God, advising them not to fear men. “It does not matter what the enemy has thrown on you, do not fear. Hope does not disappear in us. Things might be bleak, but one thing is sure. I am very optimistic that one day Nigeria of our hope will be achieved”.
Lady Victoria Okonkwo, Grand Second Vice Respected President, Ladies Knight of St John International, while advising women, described the current situation in the country as a very difficult period for women. She said: “We have a lot of challenges in our country today and women are the most vulnerable of these challenges because they have a lot of responsibilities of taking care of their homes and children”
She encouraged women to believe and trust on the Lord because with God everything is possible. “It is only God that can save us in the situation we find ourselves. Hardship is everywhere,” she stated.
She encouraged KSJI women to be submissive as their patron head, St John the Baptist. “St John the Baptist was very submissive to the will of God. Trust in the Lord. Believe that it is not over, and that God Almighty is with you and at the end of our journey here on earth, we will make heaven, because if we do not accept the situation as we are, in-fact we end up breaking down, having pressures. But the only hope we have is to believe that in all the situations we are passing through, God Almighty is the ultimate. With him, we are sure that at the end of the tunnel we shall see light”.
