ABOUT FR. MBAKA AND THE RECENT VIRAL VIDEO

I know you all expect so much from your ministers, but sometimes, we fail you. I know how much you all talk about your priests and how vigorous our studies are, you stick out your head and defend us, but sometimes we make you look like a fool when we open our mouths to talk.

I know how much you all pride on the fact that we priests are set apart and not into money; you boast to your friends about how we have sacrificed everything, including wives and children, for the sake of the gospel, only for you to come to church sometimes and be proved wrong. You helplessly watch how we spend so much time and energy to talk about money, and how we say all sorts of things just to get that money from the people but spend just few minutes in preaching the word.

I know you were disappointed with the viral video of Fr Mbaka, you could not believe he said those words at first. You watched the video again and again to be sure. Me on my part, I felt more than disappointed. For lack of words, I felt nothing but shame. No one should even paint it good. Fr Mbaka got it all wrong.

In sympathy to him, he may be working honestly to get money for the Church and to help the poor, but the approach and words used show a different picture of him entirely.

This is what happens when we begin to feel we are god, this is what happens when we get to the point in our life and think that people owe us things. More importantly, this is what happens when we preach fear instead of Faith.

In a country where out of hear say, people will bath with salt and drink water mixed with salt to prevent ebola, you can be sure that any prophecy of fear will work.

In a country where people are desperate for political offices and are ready to do anything to get there, you can be sure that any prophecy of fear will work.

This is why we have most of our so called visions or prophecies beginning like this: 

"If you don't do this, you will die."
"I saw a vision of you in a coffin, let me pray and destroy the spirit of death in your family."
"If you want to progress in your political career, be ready to do this and this or else."
"Why you are still where you are and cannot move to another level is because. . ."
"Something terrible will happen to you if you don't follow my words."

Whenever a minister intimidates you with fear, do like Peter Obi. Try and Smile, stand on what you feel is right, don't be carried away with his or her words. No one has more access to God. We are all his children.

About 31st night prophecies . . . I don't even know how this whole thing started, so you all believe that God will wait till 31st night before he will reveal what he wants to reveal? Let me say this, all those 31st night prophecies are mere predictions from the minister's head. God did not speak to them. God is not that jobless.

Finally, pray for Fr Mbaka. All the respect he worked hard to get is gradually falling apart. I pray he come out of this a better Mbaka. Pray for us too, and while you do this remember that the only person you should take as your model and standard is Christ.

Rev Fr Kelvin Ugwu