Malawi: Read, Meditate and act on the Word of God.

Stella Zulu – Malawi.

Malawian Bishops have encouraged the faithful to develop a culture of reading and meditating on the Word of God in order to get spiritual insights that will help them act according to the will of God for their lives.

Bible month

This was said on the declaration of September as a Bible Month in the Malawian Catholic Church, meant to help Catholics understand the importance of the Bible in their lives and encourage them to make it a habit to read, meditate, and understand the teaching of the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

In their message, the Bishops, through the Chair for the Pastoral Commission, Bishop Peter Musikuwa, said Christians need to constantly and consistently read the Bible to acquire spiritual insights.

“God’s Word is a source of nourishment and spiritual growth. Its importance in our daily lives obliges us to know and fully appreciate it. The Bible month, therefore, gives Catholics the opportunity to continue deepening their relationship with God by listening attentively to His word,” a message from the country’s Bishops said.

Own a Bible

The Bible Month theme is “Obedience is better than Sacrifice” from 1 Samuel 15:22. The Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) through the Pastoral Commission encourages all Catholics to own a Bible, read, meditate, and act on the Word of God.

This year’s Bible Month reflection falls within a period when the Universal Church is celebrating the Year of Saint. Joseph, one of the Bible figures who obeyed God’s will in their lives. The Bishops, therefore, invite the whole Catholic family to seriously meditate on the life of this saint.

Celebrating the Year of Saint Joseph

The Bishops explain: “The year of St. Joseph has to be fruitful for all of us, an obedient Father, who protected Mary and Jesus and taught his Son to do the will of God. We have to fully understand that the Bible is the Word of God qualified by St. Gregory as a letter from God, the fountain of all truths. The existence of the Bible is the greatest blessing which humanity ever experienced,” the Bishops said.

Listen to Bible programmes on Catholic Radio

The Bible Coordinator for Lilongwe Archdiocese, Fr. Henry Zulu, said the Church has lined up several activities to guide Christians in dioceses, parishes and Small Christian Communities (SCCs) during the whole month.

He said: “families are encouraged to recite the prayer for the family using the Bible; all Christians are encouraged to listen to Bible programmes on Catholic radio stations; parishes and pastoral agents are being asked to organise recollections for the youth during holidays, and to observe Bible enthronement.”

Exchange the Holy Bible as a gift

Fr Zulu encouraged the faithful to buy a bible and exchange gifts of the Holy Bible.

The Church started celebrating the Bible Month after the Holy Father’s declaration made in 2019, a year that marked the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Bible apostolate established to promote the Word of God among Catholics.

(Amecea News)