Don’t be distracted by the Christmas pomp – Bishop Kalumba

Rt. Rev. Valentine Kalumba, OMI., Bishop of Livingstone, has called on the church in Livingstone not to be swayed away by the worldly celebrations that characterise the Christian Feast of Christmas. The Bishop said:

“We should not be distracted or confused by the pomp and merrymaking surrounding Christmas celebrations.

“Most of the time, such kind of celebrations have nothing to do with Christianity, they are secular and worldly celebrations. “

To have a meaningful Christmas celebration, Christians need to have a self-introspective of their lives, to seriously reflect on the true meaning of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bishop thus stated:

“As Christmas draws near, we should likewise prepare our hearts and minds to turn towards the Lord, to redirect our attention to Jesus Christ, and make Him the centre of our forthcoming Christmas celebrations.”

There’s power in Silence

In a world full of haste activities and cosmetic happiness, the Bishop asked the people of Livingstone to value silence. He highlighted:

“Sometimes we need this silence in life, sometimes we need to go mute in order to reflect on the power of God in our lives. 

“As we get closer to Christmas, as we get closer to the birth of our Lord we need the silence, we need to go mute, and reflect properly on the meaning of Christmas in our lives.”

Think of special people in your life

The Christians in Livingstone have been challenged to think of and pray for various people who have played  significant roles in shaping their Christian identity. The high-ranking Clergyman’s thought first went to biological parents.

“We need to pray for our parents, those who are still alive and those who have gone before us, and be thankful to them for the gift of life, for the training, for the discipline they have given us, and for the love and affection they have lavished upon us.

“Let us ask for God’s forgiveness if we are ungrateful to them, or if we were ungrateful to them.

“Let us ask for God’s pardon if we don’t take care of them or if we didn’t take care of them.”

Second, the Bishop asked the people of Livingstone to remember their spiritual parents.

“We need to remember and pray for our godparents who sponsored us in Baptism, which made us children of God, which made us brothers and sisters of Jesus, heirs of Heaven, and members of Jesus’ Mystical Body, the Church.”

The Bishop said this on Friday 23^rd December, 2022, during the End-of-year Mass held for Diocesan Workers drawn from Diocesan Institutions at St. Theresa’s Cathedral in Livingstone. The Senior Prelate based his homily on the story of Birth and Naming of St. John the Baptist as found in Luke Chapter One, Verses 57 to 66.