. . . Advises Christians to Back up Prayers with Actions
By Chinecherem Efobi
A Catholic priest and Dean of student affairs of Tansi International College, Awka [TICA] Rev Fr Martins Nwakaeze, has advised Christians to back up their prayers with actions. The priest said this in his homily on 20th October, 2019 at the school hall, on the occasion of the School Thanksgiving Mass. Rev. Fr. Nwakaeze said that perseverance in prayer is what should be our priority as children of God.
“Prayers are the ways through which we ask God for favours but we have to back it up with actions, which mean that we have to do what is expected from us to survive in life and then leave others to God who knows the best way to handle what we are asking for. He gave an example of one woman who was one day singing in the church saying that Jesus must answer her prayers. Does that mean that she is commanding God to answer her prayer?” Fr Nwakaeze asked,
He continued by saying that sometimes we command God to do things for us even when what we are demanding for won’t help us to have eternal life. He further said that students are mostly fond of booking masses during their examinations which after doing that, they won’t read. Fr. Martins told a story of what happened when he was still in secondary school at St. John-Bosco Seminary, Isuaniocha precisely.
As they were preparing for their WAEC, their class president told them to gather the entire pen they will use for their exams so that their Rector will bless them for them. The Rector then, now Msgr Ezeanyika John, then called all of them and asked them the person that brought out that idea and they said that it’s their class president. He asked them that if he finished blessing the pen for them whether the pen will write the exam for them without proper reading. But they didn’t respond and he called the class president and punished him for bringing such idea and corrupting the minds of those who wanted to read. Msgr Ezeanyika advised the students then that they should back up their prayers always with good action, as faith without good works was not proper.
Fr Nwakaeze, an Oko indigene, concluded that praying as an individual is good but praying as a community is even better as stated in Matthew 18 vs. 20, “ that where two or three are gathered in the Lord’s Name, He is there”. The Rev Fr Badminton player now prayed God to give Christians wisdom to know what they are supposed to do at a particular point in time and also ask Him to give them faith to wait patiently for their prayers to be answered.
