“Do not distort the Word of God”: Cardinal Ameyu to Four Newly Ordained Deacons for Juba Archdiocese in South Sudan

He cautioned the Deacons-elect against viewing their ordination as a step up the ecclesiastical ladder, calling instead for interior renewal.

“Any state of life in the Church requires change. A Deacon cannot live as he did before. A Priest cannot behave like everyone else. Bishops cannot behave like Priests. Every vocation must reshape our lives and attitudes,” the Local Ordinary of Juba Archdiocese, who was among the three Africans created Cardinals during the 30 September 2023 Consistory, said.

He used the image of the River Nile to illustrate the hidden yet powerful nature of divine grace. The river, Cardinal Ameyu said, flows through South Sudan, giving life, though few people know its distant origins.

Credit: Ginaba Lino Michael/Catholic Radio Network/South Sudan/Juba

“Grace comes to us like the Nile,” he went on to say, adding that grace “begins from a hidden place and becomes a mighty river bringing life. Mary is like that source; through her, the grace of God flows into the world and into our lives.”

Cardinal Ameyu continued, “You have experienced the floods of disappointment and the droughts of doubt. Yet you stand here today as servants of God’s people. Perseverance must be your companion.”

Credit: Ginaba Lino Michael/Catholic Radio Network/South Sudan/Juba

“Imagine a slave becoming a saint. Bakhita’s life shows that grace is stronger than suffering. My dear Deacons, you must be such a beacon of hope for your people, just as she was,” said the South Sudanese Cardinal, whose transfer from Torit Diocese to Juba was met with resistance from a section of the Clergy and Laity of Juba Archdiocese.

He encouraged the Deacons-elect to become “signs of hope” in a society marked by conflict, poverty, and spiritual struggle.

Credit: Ginaba Lino Michael/Catholic Radio Network/South Sudan/Juba

“The people you will serve are like soup without shape. You must give them form again through the Word of God and the grace of the sacraments. Lead them with humility, with the yes of Mary, and with the strength that comes from Christ,” Cardinal Ameyu said on December 8.

Credit: Ginaba Lino Michael/Catholic Radio Network/South Sudan/Juba

Ginaba Lino Michael contributed to this story

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Source: https://www.aciafrica.org/news/19077/do-not-distort-the-word-of-god-cardinal-ameyu-to-four-newly-ordained-deacons-for-juba-archdiocese-in-south-sudan