Beware of the subtle influence of the Devil – Bishop Valentine Kalumba, OMI.
Rt. Rev. Valentine Kalumba, OMI, surrounded by the Priests, consecrates the Chrism Oil.
Hundreds of parishioners thronged the Cathedral of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, Livingstone, on the evening of Thursday, 10th April, 2025, to participate in the celebration of the Chrism Mass.
In his Sprit-filled homily, the Rt. Rev. Valentine Kalumba, OMI., drew the attention of the Clergy to the presence and influence of the Devil.
The senior most clergyman stated:
“The devil’s prideful refusal to bow before God, did not end with the fall. It continues today, and it continues in those who cleverly deny the divinity of Jesus Christ. The devil’s ancient rebellion still echoes in every heart that refuses to recognize Jesus as Lord and God.”
The clergy were reminded of the critical action they did on the day of Ordination: Prostration.
The Bishop elaborated:
“On the day of our Ordination, as Priests, Bishops, we did not just bow before Jesus Christ, we prostrated ourselves. We laid face down before the altar, the church, before Jesus Christ. In that moment of complete surrender, we offered our very selves to him.
‘What happened on that day of our ordination was not performance. We were ordained, we were anointed as priests. We were not humiliated, no! We were being claimed by Christ, configured to his Priesthood.’
‘In that same act, in that same sacred act, we made a choice to serve God, different from the choice made by Lucifer.’ ”
The Bishop cautioned the Priests:
“Dear brothers in the Priesthood, the subtle echo of pride, the devil’s refusal to bow before God, which continued beyond his fall, can infiltrate even the Priesthood. It can settle quietly in the hearts of those called to serve Jesus Christ, manifesting itself in a subtle way in the life of a priest. This subtle influence can lead to pride in ministry.”
The Head of the Church in Livingstone went on to state that:
“This subtle influence can lead to self-righteousness in those called to serve God. A sense of self-righteousness can sometimes overshadow the humility expected in our vocation. This subtle influence of the devil can lead to desire to desire for recognition. Wherever you are, you want to be recognized as a Priest or as a Bishop.
‘The desire for recognition and praise can lead us to focus more on our status, forgetting that we are merely servants of the Lord.’ ”
Stay close to Jesus
To fight the devil’s daily machinations, the Priests were called up to stay close to Jesus.
“Therefore, we must stay closely and united to Christ, the Anointed on, the one who called us. The one who came to serve and not be served. Only in him can we guard our hearts and remain faithful to the humility of our vocation. Clinging to Jesus,!” advised the Bishop.
We didn’t anoint ourselves
As well as reflecting on the negative influence of the devil in daily life, the Bishop touched on the significance of the Chrism Mass.
He said:
“today as Priests we shall bless the oils that we will use to serve the for Christ, the oils that we will use in our church. The oils we shall bless today symbolize our dedication and the sacredness of our vocation.
‘Through these oils we are reminded of our very fact that we are anointed. Our sacred calling to serve in the church, in the name of Jesus. He anointed us, we didn’t appoint ourselves. We didn’t anoint ourselves. We didn’t anoint ourselves. It was God.’ ”
At the Chrism Mass the oils of the sick and catechumen were blessed by Bishop. The Holy Chrism was consecrated by the Bishop supported by the Priests.
Click on link below to follow the full homily.