By Rose Achiego Ande
More than 15,000 youth from Metropolitans of Nyeri, Kisumu, Mombasa, and Nairobi attending National Youth Mass in the Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri on 25th February 2023 have been challenged to practice acts of mercy to tap into God’s blessings.
Actions of mercy are: to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, ransom the captive, and bury the dead.
Addressing the youth at Dedan Kimathi University grounds, the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri, Most Rev. Anthony Muheria urged the youth not to miss an opportunity to help someone in need, encouraging them to participate in almsgiving, especially during this Lenten period.
“Dear young people, without giving, you never receive. When you give, your heart expands, and you become capable of giving your life. Therefore, you must commit to actions of mercy.
Referring to this year’s World Youth Day theme, which has also been adopted for The National Youth Mass. “Mary arose and went with haste Luke 1:39,”
Archbishop Muheria called on the youth to walk together toward the kingdom of God by seeking spiritual strength through adoration.
“You must exercise Spiritual exercise to get the strength and power to win the battle, initiate and cultivate a revolution for good so that you do not get swayed and destroyed by the evil one,” he said.
He urged them to be effective in what they do and to get strongly connected to Jesus Christ whom they witness. Archbishop Muheria also urged the youth to keep their faith and hope alive to overcome challenges that may come their way.
In that connection, he introduced Rev. Fr. Michael Mithamo King’ori, the first blind priest ordained in Kenya, to address the youth.
In his speech, Fr. Mithamo said he never lost faith in God and hope to serve him even after facing many challenges in life, encouraging young people never to give up.
He said despite having stayed out of school for eight years before joining the secondary school and losing his eyesight three months after being ordained a deacon, he never lost hope of joining the seminary and fulfilling his dream of becoming a Catholic priest.
“There is hope, and hope never disappoints because God has instilled his love in us through the Holy Spirit. This is a short story about my life. I cleared primary school in 1998, and my parents were not economically stable to take me to the next level, but I had hope and prayer. After eight years, I got a chance to join a secondary school and later joined Christ the King Seminary in Nyeri. However, three months after being ordained a deacon by Archbishop Muheria, I turned blind but I did not lose hope,” he said.
He told the youth to remain in the Church and in Christ. “Be informed by the word of God and Christ, and do not let the devil sway you in the wrong direction. Do whatever you can when you still have energy, and be strong, and courageous in making your decision,” he said
During his priestly ordination on 14th January 2023, Archbishop Muheria said Fr. Mithamo’s ordination “is a reason for great joy because despite his limitation, despite the hurdles he has had to go through, he has come out to give testimony that disability is not an obstacle to answering God’s call, that disability is not inability.”
KCCB - Catholic Mirror 