By Josephine Obute
A Catholic cleric, Rev. Fr. Andrew Abhulime on Sunday urged Nigerians to show love to their enemies, saying “it is the greatest commandment from God”.
Abhulime made the call at a Church sermon with the theme: “Love your enemies’’ at Saints Joachim and Anne Catholic Church, Ijegun, Ikotun, a suburb of Lagos.
According to him, the current electioneering period can only be successful when citizens do exhibit hatred or revenge among themselves.
The cleric described ‘revenge’ as a life from the Old Testament when Jesus had not come to die for mankind, saying that it had now been replaced with love for both friends and enemies.
“God has given us a new commandment that we should love our enemies and pray for them.
“Loving one another demands that we pray for those who persecute us, those who dislike us, avoid cursing or seeking to end their lives,” he said.
Abhulime described those who demonstrate love to others as true lovers of God, saying “it is in loving man that we prove our love for God”.
“We must learn to forgive like David, let God fight your battle, rely on God, let us be Christ-like, trying to sacrifice for others.
“The Church is calling us to love our enemies today, it is an obligation that enforces you to love your human enemies,” he said.
Abhulime advised the youths to desist from seeking revenge, saying `it is a setback to a successful nation.
“Love has so much power that it makes a strong positive impact, no good Christian should seek the death of another.
“Always allow God to reward your enemies, do not do God’s job for him, in the bible,
David showed Saul love despite the evil intention in Saul’s mind and God blessed, rewarded David,” he said.
“We should only have three enemies, the evil world, the devil and the evil desires of the flesh which everyone should hate and fight against rather than human beings.’’
Abhulime commended the Catholic faithful who went out to vote on Saturday, saying that it was a demonstration of love for the nation.
“We should all wait patiently for the results and accept them in good faith,” he said. (NAN)
